Virginia Commonwealth Rams Defeat La Salle Explorers 77-68 Behind Djokovic's 26 Points

The Virginia Commonwealth Rams secured a 77-68 win over the La Salle Explorers, with Lazar Djokovic leading the charge with 26 points and 8 rebounds. This victory improves VCU's record to 19-6, while La Salle falls to 7-18. The Rams' 40-point second-half performance was a key factor in their win, outscoring La Salle by 3 points in the period. Djokovic's 26 points marked his 10th game this season with 20 or more points, showcasing his consistency as a scorer.

The game was closely contested in the first half, with Virginia Commonwealth taking a 37-31 lead into halftime. La Salle's Rob Dockery had a strong first half, scoring 10 of his 17 points in the period. However, VCU's defense tightened up in the second half, holding La Salle to 37 points on 34.5% shooting. The Rams, on the other hand, shot 48.6% from the field in the second half, with Terrence Hill Jr. and Jadrian Tracey combining for 20 points in the period. La Salle's Ashton Walker added 14 points for the Explorers, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Rams' balanced attack. The Explorers were outrebounded 35-29, with VCU grabbing 10 offensive rebounds to La Salle's 6.

Lazar Djokovic was the standout performer for Virginia Commonwealth, scoring 26 points on 10-17 shooting. He also added 8 rebounds and 2 assists, showcasing his all-around skills. Rob Dockery was the top performer for La Salle, scoring 17 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. Terrence Hill Jr. and Jadrian Tracey also had strong games for VCU, scoring 14 points each. Truth Harris added 12 points for La Salle, but the Explorers' offense struggled to find consistency throughout the game. Djokovic's 26 points marked his highest total in the last 5 games, and his 8 rebounds were a season high.

Virginia Commonwealth shot 49.1% from the field, including 35.7% from three-point range. La Salle, on the other hand, shot 41.9% from the field and 30.8% from three-point range. The Rams outrebounded the Explorers 35-29, with a 10-6 advantage on the offensive glass. VCU also committed 12 turnovers, compared to La Salle's 15. The Rams' 77 points marked their 15th game this season with 70 or more points, and their 9-point margin of victory was their 10th double-digit win of the season.

The CHD Scout predicted a 17.2-point victory for Virginia Commonwealth, with a predicted score of 65-83. While the actual margin of victory was 9 points, the prediction was correct in terms of the winner. The Rams' 77-68 win was closer than expected, but they still managed to come out on top. The CHD Scout's prediction was based on VCU's strong defense and La Salle's struggles on offense, and while the Explorers did score 68 points, it wasn't enough to overcome the Rams' balanced attack. The prediction was 8.2 points off, but still correctly identified VCU as the winner.

This win improves Virginia Commonwealth's record to 19-6, with a NET ranking of 50. The game was a Quadrant 4 game for the Rams, but a Quadrant 2 game for La Salle. The Explorers' loss drops their record to 7-18, with a NET ranking of 244. While the win doesn't greatly impact VCU's resume, it does help to solidify their position in the NCAA tournament picture. The Rams' 9-3 record in their last 12 games has helped to boost their NET ranking, and they want to continue their strong play in their next game. La Salle, on the other hand, want to bounce back from their loss and try to string together some wins to improve their resume.

Virginia Commonwealth's next game is against the Dayton Flyers on February 15, while La Salle takes on the Saint Joseph's Hawks on February 14. The Rams want to continue their strong play and try to move up in the NCAA tournament rankings, while the Explorers will try to bounce back from their loss and get back on track. VCU's game against Dayton will be a key matchup, as the Flyers are currently ranked 25th in the NET rankings. La Salle's game against Saint Joseph's will be a crucial one, as the Hawks are currently 10-15 on the season.