November 21, 2008

BALANCED ATTACK, STIFLING DEFENSE LEAD RAMS PAST TULANE, 65-49
Five different players score eight points or more
Box Score

RICHMOND, Va. – It was a staple of the 2007-2008 run to the Women’s NIT.

Aggressive, hard-nosed defense mixed with a balanced scoring attack.

The Virginia Commonwealth University women’s basketball flashed that same staple on Friday evening in the third round consolation game of the Preseason WNIT. Five different players scored at least eight points and the Rams forced 23 turnovers as they cruised past Tulane, 65-49.

Junior D’Andra Moss (Atlanta, Ga.) was a force down low all night with nine points and seven rebounds, while senior Quanitra Hollingsworth (Chesapeake, Va.) and junior La’Tavia Rorie (Charlotte, N.C.) (right) poured in 13 and 12 points, respectively.

The Black and Gold improve to 2-1 on the year and are now an astounding 19-3 in games played in the month of November under Head Coach Beth Cunningham. Tulane falls to 1-2 in the early stages of the 2008-2009 campaign.

Sophomore Jessica Taylor (Northumberland, Va.) (left) connected on a three-pointer from the right wing as the Rams jumped out to a 9-4 advantage with 16:12 remaining in the first half.

Indira Kaljo came off the bench to spark a 7-2 run by the Green Wave that tied the score at 11-11 with 13:12 left on the first half clock.

The Black and Gold responded with a run of their own as three points from Rorie led a 10-0 run that gave VCU a commanding 21-11 lead.

Brittany Lindsey scored six points in the final five minutes of the first half as Tulane got within three as the teams headed to the locker rooms with VCU leading 27-24.

Much like the first half the Rams came out firing as a steal and a fast-break lay-up by Taylor and a jumper by senior Radoslava Bachvarova (Varna, Bulgaria) gave VCU a 31-24 advantage.

Tulane kept it close until Hollingsworth’s six points ignited 16-2 run that gave the Black and Gold a 56-38 lead with 4:48 remaining in regulation.

VCU’s lead would not shrink below double-digits the rest of the way as Hollingsworth and Bachvarova combined for 19 second-half points to outscore the Green Wave 38-25 in the final 20 minutes.

The Rams owned the glass all night with a 42-33 rebounding advantage as every player that played for VCU tallied a rebound.

VCU’s stalwart defense shined brightly with 11 steals, four by Taylor, as well as holding the Green Wave to just 22.2% from the field in the first-half.

The Black and Gold return to the hardwood on Tuesday evening as it host the Pirates of East Carolina in a 7 p.m. contest.