January 22, 2009
RAMS JUMP ALL OVER HOFSTRA FOR 13TH STRAIGHT HOME WIN, 83-58
Four Rams tally double-figures in victory
Box Score
RICHMOND, Va. – The number 13 is seen as unlucky by most people.
For the Virginia Commonwealth University women’s basketball, it was lucky number 13 as the Rams jumped all over the Pride of Hofstra University to start the second half en route to its 13th straight home victory, 83-58, in Colonial Athletic Association action on Thursday evening at the Siegel Center.
 Nine points from Quanitra Hollingsworth (Chesapeake, Va.) (above) was the spark behind a 16-0 run that spanned the last 3:30 of the first half and first 4:01 of the second half that helped the Black and Gold put the game out of reach.
”I thought that we really had a great end to the first half and that kept rolling into the second half,” Head Coach Beth Cunningham said. “The last possession of the first half when [Jessica Taylor (Northumberland, Va.)] had the steal and the two-on-one breakaway, that’s what we wanted to focus on in the second half. We wanted to turn up the pressure on the defensive end and that ultimately turns into points on the offensive end.”
The Rams pick up their 11th win in the past 12 games to improve to 15-3 overall and 5-1 in conference action, while the Pride falls to 11-6 on the year and 3-3 in CAA play.
Senior Radoslava Bachvarova (Varna, Bulgaria) (left) returned from leg injury that kept her out of the previous game to lead the Rams out of the gates as her six points helped VCU claim a 12-3 advantage with 14:18 to play in the first half.
Hofstra would not go quietly as five points from Nicole Capurso sparked a 7-0 run that brought the Pride within two at 12-10 with 12:20 remaining on the first half clock.
After the two teams traded baskets for much of the rest of the first half, VCU had five different players tally points in the final 4:33 to ignite an 11-2 run and give the Black and Gold a 40-32 halftime lead.
The momentum stayed on the Rams side coming out of the locker rooms as Hollingsworth scored seven straight points and helped VCU push its lead to 49-32 to with 18:01 left in the contest.
”I really feel like I’m starting to fully recover from the injury,” Hollingsworth said. “It’s great because I feel good and I feel like we are meshing so well as a team and it’s at the perfect time.”
After Hofstra cut the lead to 11 at 55-44, junior La’Tavia Rorie (Charlotte, N.C.) scored seven straight points to cap off an 11-0 run to give VCU a decisive 66-44 advantage with under 10 minutes to play.
The lead would not drop below 17 the rest of the way as sophomore Ebony Patterson (Chesterfield, Va.) and Courtney Hurt (Conyers, Ga.) scored eight points down the stretch to give the Black and Gold a dominating 83-58 victory.
Rorie led all scorers with 17 points, while also grabbing six rebounds and dishing out five assists. Hollingsworth was right behind her with 16 points, nine rebounds, four blocks and three steals. Bachvarova and junior Kita Waller (Gainesville, Ga.) poured in 12 points apiece to round out the double-digit scorers for the Rams.
It marked the 14th time in 18 games that the Black and Gold have had at least three players in double-digits.
”It’s really a great thing for us because teams don’t know who to guard or try to double team,” Hollingsworth said. “That’s what we have to keep doing down the stretch, keep up this balanced attack. If somebody is having a tough night, everybody else will step up. We’re a team and a family in this locker room.”
Niki Williams tallied a team-high 15 points for the Pride, while Capurso was the other Hofstra player in double-digits with 13.
The Rams hit the road for the first time in two weeks as they travel south to take on the Seahawks of UNC Wilmington on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.
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