COLUMBIA, SC --With Marcus Evans in the starting lineup, the VCU Rams couldn't overcome a 19-0 run between the 1st and 2nd halves as they fell 73-58 to UCF in the 1st round of the NCAA tournament.
Evans scored six points on 1-7 shooting in 26 minutes during his first action on the court since he suffered a bone bruise during the A-10 tournament in Brooklyn, NY.
"It seemed like a lid was on the basket," stated Evans. "But that's how the game goes sometimes. We had a hell of a season."
Corey Douglas #4 of the Virginia Commonwealth Rams and Tacko Fall #24 of the UCF Knights battle for the rebound in the second half during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Colonial Life Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
De'Riante Jenkins, who returned to his home state of South Carolina, was the only Ram starter that scored in double figures with 10. They were held to just 31 percent shooting for the game and were 6-26 from the three-point line.
"We were getting good looks but they just were falling," said VCU forward Marcus Santos Silva. "We kept saying keep on shooting, keep on shooting and they will fall."
Despite the loss, VCU tied a regular season school record with 25 wins and won the A-10 regular season title outright for the first time since joining the league in 2013.
