VCU Rams

March 4, 2009

HOLLINGSWORTH, RAMS DOMINATE GEORGIA STATE
Senior has 23 points, 12 rebounds in 56-39 victory

ATLANTA, Ga. – The Virginia Commonwealth University women’s basketball team played its final game of the regular season on Wednesday night at Georgia State University. It was a homecoming for a couple of Rams.

Junior Kita Waller is from nearby Gainesville, Ga. Freshman Courtney Hurt is from Conyers, Ga., also not far from GSU. Hurt’s family opened its home to the Rams for dinner on Tuesday night.

But it was a native Virginian who ended up stealing the show, along with the Rams’ defense. Senior Quanitra Hollingsworth (Chesapeake, Va.) was dominant as VCU posted a 56-39 victory to finish the season with a 15-3 record in the Colonial Athletic Association and a 25-5 mark overall. Georgia State is 4-14, 12-17. VCU is now just a victory away from tying last season’s record total for victories in a season.

Hollingsworth finished with a season-high 23 points and 12 rebounds. It was her fifth “double-double” in a row, her 16th of the season and the 53rd of her career.

The first half was her time. Georgia State led 10-9 with 11:56 to play. At halftime, it was 28-14 VCU. Hollingsworth had 17 points and eight rebounds in the first half. At one point, she scored 11 straight VCU points.

“I thought was ‘Q’ was outstanding,” VCU Coach Beth Cunningham said. “She really came out and was such an inside presence for us in the first half. Just an outstanding game all the way around. She got us off to such a great start. The way she played, she really changed the game.”

Defense was also the story as the Rams held their second straight opponent to 39 points. Georgia State shot 23.6 percent for the game and was 0-8 from 3-point range.

“To go on the road and hold these guys to 39 points is excellent,” Cunningham said. “I’m really proud of the way we came out and took care of business on the defensive end”

The local duo played a significant part in the victory, particularly on the defensive end. Waller finished with six points, four rebounds and five steals. Hurt had seven points, eight rebounds and five steals
The game had no bearing on seeding for the CAA tournament that starts March 12 in Harrisonburg, Va. VCU will be the second seed and will play its first game on Friday at 5 p.m. against an opponent to be determined. Georgia State is the 11th seed.

“We’ve had an excellent season but everybody starts with a clean slate now. We’ll take a couple of days to rest and then we’ll get ready for what should be a great tournament,” Cunningham said.