Drew Thompson, Sports Editor
No. 2 VCU took on No. 7 Duquesne University in the Betterment Atlantic 10 quarterfinals on Friday. VCU fought through a sluggish offensive start with a stout defense to come out on top 71-66.
Duquesne won the tip and immediately opened the scoring with a three and an alley-oop to get a quick five point lead.
VCU redshirt fourth-year guard Jadrian Tracey responded with his own three, however the Rams lagged behind early.
The paint was virtually nonexistent for VCU in the opening five minutes, with all its points coming from behind the arc and getting blocked twice inside.
VCU continued to struggle offensively with five consecutive misses and a three minute scoring drought. Duquesne took advantage with fluid passing and three straight makes to increase the lead to six.
The Rams’ first-year guard Nyk Lewis disrupted the Dukes’ momentum with a timely three eight minutes in. Third-year forward Michael Belle followed it with VCU’s first points in the paint.
Duquesne pulled ahead with a deep three, however Belle continued to find his shot inside with the Rams trailing.
VCU quickly brought it back with a 6-0 run featuring a second-chance layup from Tracey, a transition layup from Belle and two free throws from Lewis. The Rams’ defense was suffocating the Dukes with four turnovers over a four minute scoring drought.
VCU second-year guard Terrence Hill Jr. made two free throws to secure the Rams’ first lead of the game at 27-26 with less than four minutes left in the first half.
Hill and third-year forward Lazar Djokovic then combined on a pick and roll to extend the VCU run to 12-2. Belle continued the momentum shift with a layup inside to increase the lead to five.
The Rams’ defense held strong while fourth-year forward Barry Evans hit a three to keep the momentum going. Hill then finished the half with a step-back contested three to send VCU into halftime up 39-29.
“I dribbled it out, got the switch,” Hill said. “It was like three seconds on the clock, so I just threw one up and it went down.”
Duquesne opened the second half with a three before Djovokic responded with a three of his own.
VCU again struggled early to open the half going over three minutes without a field goal. The Dukes took the opportunity to claw back with a few crafty finishes in the paint as the lead shrank to four off a 6-0 run.
The Rams remained sloppy offensively in the opening six minutes with five turnovers amidst a three-minute scoring drought. The Dukes were unable to take advantage with a three-minute scoring drought of their own.
VCU slowly regained its stride while Duquesne continued to struggle with the scoring drought extending to five minutes and nine straight misses halfway through the second.
Both teams started trading baskets after the Dukes broke their cold spell with a contested three. After the slow start, neither team could miss. Duquesne made four consecutive shots and VCU responded with six straight to stay ahead.
The Rams stayed hot as the Dukes slowed down with four to play. Hill got to his spot at the lower block and hit two consecutive mid-range fadeaways to take the lead to seven.
Duquesne brought it back to four with a minute remaining before a layup inside brought the lead to two. Hill was fouled on the ensuing inbound but only hit one of his free throws to put the score at 67-64.
Duquesne rushed down the court looking for a tie, but Belle disrupted the dribble and stole the ball. Lewis grabbed the steal, got fouled and hit both free throws to increase the lead to five.
Duquesne got a final chance on offense but a block by second-year guard Brandon Jennings ended the season with a 71-66 VCU win.
“I know what I’m getting from those guys every single day,” VCU head coach Phil Martelli Jr. said. “They’re serious about what they do and they work really hard.”
VCU is advancing to the semifinals and will face its next opponent on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.