Battle 4 Atlantis – First Round
Score: VCU 78, South Florida 66
Location: Nassau, Bahamas (Imperial Arena)
Records: VCU 4-2, South Florida 3-3
 
The short story: Junior forward Lazar Djokovic dominated down low and supplied a game-high 20 points, while senior forward Barry Evans kicked in his first double-double in a VCU uniform to lead the Rams past South Florida Wednesday on the opening day of the Battle 4 Atlantis.
 
OPENING TIP

• Djokovic connected on 4-of-7 attempts from the floor, including 1-of-2 from beyond the arc in the contest, but he lived at the free throw line Wednesday, where he converted 11-of-18 attempts. He also corralled eight rebounds and blocked a shot
• Evans shot 5-of-10 from the floor and finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds on the way to his fifth career double-double
• In all, four Rams reached double figures, including sophomore guard Terrence Hill Jr., who provided 15 points, while freshman guard Nyk Lewis added 11 and five rebounds
• Izaiyah Nelson led USF with 16 points

THE DIFFERENCE

• South Florida came into the game averaging 100 points per game this season, and the Bulls lowest point total prior to Wednesday was 95. But the Rams' blanketing defense held USF to 39 percent (26-of-67) shooting from the field, including 2-of-13 from 3-point range
• Djokovic's presence helped VCU gain a 48-34 advantage in points in the paint
• The Rams outrebounded the Bulls 47-39, including 27-14 in the second half. VCU grabbed 16 offensive rebounds
• The Rams fell behind 12-3 in the game's early moments, but used a 14-2 burst, punctuated by back-to-back Hill 3-pointers, to take a 17-14 lead at the 10:27 mark of the first half. Evans later scored the final two buckets of the first half, including a steal and dunk to beat the first half buzzer, to send the Black and Gold into the locker room with a 36-33 lead. The Rams would not trail again
• VCU opened the second half with a 13-6 burst, capped by a Djokovic 3-pointer, to push its lead to 49-39 with 16:09 on the clock

NOTABLE

• Djokovic's 18 free throw attempts were one shy of the VCU single-game record of 19, set by Shawn Hampton on Dec. 12, 1998 against Liberty
• VCU improved to 28-12 all-time against South Florida and 5-5 at the Battle 4 Atlantis

NEXT UP
VCU advances to meet 24^th-ranked Vanderbilt on Thanksgiving at noon. That contest will be televised on ESPN.