Facing former Duke guard Greg Paulus—member of the 2007 Duke team that fell to Eric Maynor’s legendary “Dagger”—VCU opened the night by leaning directly into its modern-era identity: tempo, spacing, and a barrage of threes.
Niagara jumped out to a 7–3 start before the Rams caught fire from deep, drilling five of their first seven triples to surge ahead 15–10. Turnovers stalled VCU’s early momentum and allowed the Purple Eagles to tie the game at 15–15, but the Rams again created separation behind back-to-back threes from Lewis and Jennings, pushing the lead to 29–18 with 6:06 left.
Niagara answered with an 11–0 run in the final four minutes to cut the margin to 32–31, but Terrence Hill Jr. closed the half with a triple and a scooped layup to give VCU a 37–34 advantage at the break. The Rams made only three non-three-point baskets in the entire first half and went 1–7 at the line, but their 10 made threes kept them in control.
A wide-open layup tied the game at 40–40 early in the second, but the Rams immediately punched back with a 9–0 run, highlighted by a Tillery and-one. From there, VCU locked in defensively—Niagara shot 3 for its final 21 field-goal attempts—and the Rams’ lead ballooned to 26 in the closing minutes.
With the win, VCU improves to 7–4 overall. The Rams return to action on Thursday, Dec. 18, hosting the American University Eagles at the Siegel Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN+ / MASN.
Niagara jumped out to a 7–3 start before the Rams caught fire from deep, drilling five of their first seven triples to surge ahead 15–10. Turnovers stalled VCU’s early momentum and allowed the Purple Eagles to tie the game at 15–15, but the Rams again created separation behind back-to-back threes from Lewis and Jennings, pushing the lead to 29–18 with 6:06 left.
Niagara answered with an 11–0 run in the final four minutes to cut the margin to 32–31, but Terrence Hill Jr. closed the half with a triple and a scooped layup to give VCU a 37–34 advantage at the break. The Rams made only three non-three-point baskets in the entire first half and went 1–7 at the line, but their 10 made threes kept them in control.
A wide-open layup tied the game at 40–40 early in the second, but the Rams immediately punched back with a 9–0 run, highlighted by a Tillery and-one. From there, VCU locked in defensively—Niagara shot 3 for its final 21 field-goal attempts—and the Rams’ lead ballooned to 26 in the closing minutes.
Key Performances
- Lazar Djokovic: 18 pts, 7 reb, 4 blk, 1 ast, 3-3 FG, 11-11 FT
- Nyk Lewis: 12 pts, 12 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl
- Michael Belle: 15 pts, 4 reb, 4-4 3PT
- Terrence Hill Jr.: 14 pts, 3 ast, 2 stl
- Barry Evans: 10 pts, 3 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl
Team Notes
- 16–33 from three (48.5%)
- +33 from the arc (48–15)
- Bench scoring: 34–12 VCU
- FT shooting: 1–7 in 1H, 13–14 in 2H
- Niagara won paint points 32–20
- Rams won glass 37–35
- 16 points off turnovers
- Niagara finished 3 for last 21 from field
Up Next
With the win, VCU improves to 7–4 overall. The Rams return to action on Thursday, Dec. 18, hosting the American University Eagles at the Siegel Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN+ / MASN.
