Battle 4 Atlantis – Third Place Game
Score: VCU 86, Virginia Tech 68
Location: Nassau, Bahamas (Imperial Arena)
Records: VCU 5-3, Virginia Tech 6-2
 
The short story: Sophomore guard Terrence Hill Jr. poured in a career-high 21 points to lead four VCU players in double figures as the Rams capped a 2-1 week at the Battle 4 Atlantis with a win over Virginia Tech Friday.
 
OPENING TIP

• Hill buried all five of his 3-point attempts in the game and finished 6-of-7 overall from the field. He also connected on all four of his free throw attempts and grabbed three rebounds
• Senior forward Barry Evans stuffed the box score with 17 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals for the Black and Gold
• VCU senior guard Jadrian Tracey and junior forward Lazar Djokovic added 13 and 11 points, respectively
• Amani Hansberry and Tyler Johnson led the Hokies with 16 points each

THE DIFFERENCE

• VCU shot 53 percent (30-of-57) from the field in the contest, including 11-of-21 from 3-point range. The Rams also owned a 36-28 edge on the glass
• The Rams led by as many as 20 Friday, but with eight minutes remaining, Virginia Tech had whittled that advantage down to 68-62 with a 13-3 run. But Evans finished a tough two-point bucket in the paint with 6:39 left, and Hill scored five straight points in a 12-3 burst to extend the Rams' lead to 80-65 with 4:55 remaining. Tracey effectively drove home the dagger with a 3-pointer to beat the shot clock with 3:29 remaining
• Evans scored three early baskets and Tracey hit a step-back three as VCU sprinted to a 15-5 lead by the 15:59 mark. Virginia Tech answered later with a 12-0 run, fueled by a pair of Jaden Schutt 3-pointers, to take a 27-25 lead with 7:20 left in the first half. The Hokies would not lead again. Evans scored the next three buckets in the game and VCU eventually took a 45-35 lead into intermission 

NOTABLE

• VCU and Virginia Tech were meeting for just the second time since 1995 and the first time since the 2013-14 season. The Rams lead the all-time series 12-10
• The Rams improved to 6-6 all-time at the Battle 4 Atlantis
• VCU led for 36:56 of Friday's game 

NEXT UP
VCU will return home to host Samford on Friday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. at the Stuart C. Siegel Center. That contest will air on MASN and ESPN+.