Hayden Braun, Staff Writer
The VCU Rams survived a gritty rivalry battle Wednesday night, holding off the George Mason Patriots 70–65 at the Siegel Center behind a balanced scoring effort and late-game execution.
In a game that featured heavy physical play, foul trouble and multiple momentum swings, VCU ultimately leaned on its toughness and defense to secure the win.
“That’s what a March basketball game is supposed to look and feel like,” head coach Phil Martelli Jr. said after the game. “Grind it out, find a way. Not always the prettiest, not always the cleanest.”
George Mason grabbed an early 16–9 lead just five minutes into the first half, shooting efficiently going 8-9 to start the game from the field and attacking the paint. The Rams gradually responded, finding their rhythm through defensive pressure and transition opportunities.
A three-pointer from second-year guard Brandon Jennings and a steal from second-year guard Terrence Hill Jr. that led to a Jennings basket helped VCU regain momentum midway through the half. Redshirt fourth-year guard Jaridan Tracey also contributed a physical layup during the stretch as the Rams began to chip away at the deficit.
Despite both teams battling foul trouble throughout the half, VCU managed to take a narrow 34–33 lead into halftime. Fourth-year forward Barry Evans and Hill each had seven points in the opening half, while the Rams connected on three three-pointers as a team.
George Mason opened the second half aggressively again, but Tracey responded quickly with a three-pointer before following with a layup and several key rebounds.
Tracey finished with 14 points and six rebounds, and two three point shots, providing a consistent performance throughout the game.
“My mindset was just to play hard,” Tracey said. “Shots weren’t falling in the first , I just wanted to play hard, even if I’m gonna have a bad stretch, I’m going to be all over the place. I just wanted to play hard with my teammates.”
The Rams’ defensive adjustments in the second half proved crucial. After allowing George Mason to shoot 62 percent inside the arc in the first half, VCU tightened its defense and began contesting post entries more aggressively.
“We just started being more physical,” Tracey said. “Coach stressed that if they were going to beat us tonight, they’d have to beat us from three.”
VCU eventually built its largest lead of the night, eight points, after a three-pointer from Hill pushed the Rams ahead 65–57 with under four minutes remaining.
VCU had three players finish with 10 or more points including Hill who led all VCU scorers with 16 points while also contributing two assists, two three-pointers and multiple key defensive plays.
Late in the game, George Mason fought back to cut the deficit to three, but VCU executed well down the stretch.
With under 10 seconds remaining, the Rams chewed the clock leading to a Hill physical layup in the lane with nine seconds left to extend the lead to five which basically sealed the game.
“My teammates and coaches trust me with the ball in those situations,” Hill said. “So I just play basketball and have confidence in myself.”
Third-year forward Djokovic added 12 points and five rebounds for VCU despite briefly leaving the game with an ankle injury in the first half. He returned in the second half and delivered several key baskets, including a clutch fadeaway jumper late in the game.
“I mean the meds started kicking in to be honest,” Djokovic said. “If I was feeling right I probably would’ve gone to the basket, but I was like let me do a fadeaway.”
VCU finished the night shooting 43.6 percent from the field while outscoring George Mason in the paint 34–26. The Rams also had 28 points from the bench and forced 10 Patriot turnovers.
The Rams are the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic 10 tournament and the win capped an emotional senior night at the Siegel Center.
“It came down to toughness,” Martelli said. “They were tougher than us at their place, Tonight I thought we were tougher than them.”
VCU will play its final game of the season against the University of Dayton on Friday, March 6 at 7 p.m.