Score: VCU 89, St. Bonaventure 82
Location: Richmond, Va. (Siegel Center)
Records: VCU 10-4 (1-0 Atlantic 10), St. Bonaventure 11-3 (0-1 Atlantic 10)
Attendance: 7,637 (Sellout)
 
The Short Story: Junior forward Lazar Djokovic and sophomore guard Brandon Jennings recorded career-high scoring performances and led VCU as it pulled away down the stretch to top St. Bonaventure Wednesday in the conference opener for both teams.
 
OPENING TIP

• Jennings scored all of his career-high 20 points in the second half of an effort that included a 14-of-15 performance at the free throw line
• Djokovic finished with 23 points thanks to 9-of-12 shooting from the field, including three thunderous slam dunks. He added a career-high 38 minutes and was a perfect 4-of-4 from the field in the second half
• VCU sophomore guard Terrence Hill Jr. added 19 points off the bench. He shot 3-of-6 from the 3-point line and added three rebounds and two assists in the contest
• Senior forward Barry Evans rounded out the VCU double-digit scorers with 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field. Evans also led the Rams with four assists
• Frank Mitchell led all scorers with 24 points for the Bonnies

THE DIFFERENCE

• VCU trailed 73-66 with 8:10 remaining following three straight buckets by Mitchell. But Jennings capped an 8-0 VCU burst a short time later with four straight free throws to give the Rams a 79-77 advantage with 2:39 remaining. Bona briefly tied the game at 79-79, but Jennings scored the game's next eight points, including a traditional three-point play, to push the Black and Gold to an 87-79 lead with 32 seconds left
• The Rams held St. Bonaventure without a field goal for more than 6:30 down the stretch until Bona hit a largely meaningless 3-pointer with five seconds on the clock
• VCU won the battle in the post as they outscored St. Bonaventure 48-38 in the paint
• The Rams converted 26-of-28 free throws (93 percent) in the contest and shot 55 percent (29-of-53) from the field. VCU connected on 13-of-14 baskets from inside the arc in the second half 

NOTABLE

• Jennings' 14 free throws tied the program record for a single game, held by four others and reached most recently by Treveon Graham against Richmond in 2015
• Djokovic's 23 points is the most by a VCU player in a game this season, passing Hill who scored 22 points in a victory over Samford
• With the victory, VCU ties the all-time series with St. Bonaventure at 11 wins apiece

NEXT UP
The Rams travel to Pittsburgh for a weekend clash with Duquesne on Saturday, Jan. 3. The game begins at noon and will air on USA Network.