Score: VCU 93, Duquesne 80
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa. (UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse)
Records: VCU 11-4 (2-0 A-10), Duquesne 9-6 (1-1)
 
The short story: Sophomore Terrence Hill Jr. poured in 21 points, while junior Lazar Djokovic racked up his first double-double in a VCU uniform to lead the high-powered Rams to a road win at Duquesne Saturday.
 
OPENING TIP

• Hill knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and connected on 7-of-12 attempts from the field overall on the way to his third 20-point effort of the season
• Djokovic scored 18 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked a pair of shots to lead the Rams in the paint. He buried 9-of-10 attempts from the free throw line
• Sophomore Ahmad Nowell provided the Rams with a much-needed second-half spark off the bench, supplying 12 of his 14 of his points after intermission. He connected on 5-of-7 attempts from the field, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range
• Freshman Nyk Lewis added 13 points, four assists and three steals, while senior Jadrian Tracey provided 11 points and four rebounds to round out VCU's quintet of double-digit scorers
• Tarence Guinyard led all scorers with 22 points for Duquesne

THE DIFFERENCE

• VCU shot 54 percent (29-of-54) from the field in the contest, its fifth straight game over 50 percent. The Rams hit 44 percent of their 3-point tries (11-of-25)
• The Rams owned a 33-25 rebounding advantage and used 10 offensive boards to build an 18-5 edge in second-chance points
• Duquesne opened the second half with a 19-8 run to trim VCU's lead to 54-53 with 13:33 remaining. But Hill and Nowell drove the lane for back-to-back buckets to afford VCU some breathing room. A short time later, Hill finished another from close range and Nowell buried a deep 3-pointer to cap a 9-0 run that gave the Black and Gold a 63-53 lead with 10:23 on the clock. The Dukes could get no closer than seven the rest of the way, and the Rams pushed their margin to as much as 84-69 on a wide-open 3-pointer from the right wing by senior Barry Evans at the 2:38 mark
• VCU built a 46-34 first half lead behind 7-of-14 shooting from three and 10 points by Hill

NOTABLE

• VCU has scored at least 80 points in five straight games for the first time since the 1975-76 season
• The Rams' bench outscored Duquesne's reserves 43-23
• VCU improved to 10-4 all-time against Duquesne with Saturday's win. VCU has won five straight contests overall
• The Rams led for 36:50 Saturday
• The Black and Gold have recorded at least five double-digit scorers in six games this season

NEXT UP
VCU will host Saint Louis on Wednesday, Jan. 7 at 7 p.m. in a match-up between the Atlantic 10 Conference's preseason No. 1 and No. 2 teams. That contest will air nationally on CBS Sports Network.