Turnovers plague Rams in home loss to Hofstra

Hofstra’s self-esteem was at an all-time high Friday as they cruised to an easy victory over VCU 58-43.

From the onset, the Rams looked out of sync and unprepared. VCU could not control the opening tip and committed the first of a season-high 29 turnovers as Michele Cosel (Mechanicsville/Atlee High School) dove into the announcer’s table attempting to recover a loose ball.

From that point the stage was set as the Pride went on a run to take a 13-4 lead with 14 minutes left in the first half. The Rams looked out of sink, struggling to get up and down the court and found themselves late to arrive on every loose ball.

Beth Cunningham, third year VCU women’s basketball coach, said her team was a step slow and could not locate each other on both sides of the ball.

“We didn’t do a good job of having awareness on the offensive or defensive sides of the ball,” Cunningham said.

The Rams’ lackadaisical effort was on display during two consecutive possessions in which the Rams stood watching as the Pride got on the floor for the loose ball.

Cunningham admitted that her team looked slow and played halfheartedly.

“For the past three weekends we have been dealing with fatigue, and it doesn’t help that we are missing some key players,” Cunningham said.

Despite the Rams’ offensive and defensive woes, they were able to sneak back into the game when the Pride managed only two points in an 8 minute span.

Rams sophomore forward, Krystal Vaughn (Baltimore, Md) was able to provide a spark off of the bench and an inside presence as Quanitra Hollingsworth (Chesapeake/ Great Bridge High School) was only able to manage two points behind one of four shooting from the field in the first half.

The Rams went into halftime trailing 21-19 behind Vaughn’s six points and LaKea Jones’ (Fort Washington, Md) 13 points. Hofstra was led by Vanessa Gidden with six points and as a team shot a dismal 27 percent from the field.

The Pride began the second half on a 6-0 run that left VCU in the dust. Dressed in street clothes, Miranda Smith (Chesapeake/Indian River High School) and Stephanie Merlo (Bangor, Pa.) looked on in disbelief as their Rams teammates not only shot the ball poorly, but also turned the ball over on several offensive possessions.

The Pride’s offense became a bit stagnant until forward Lizanne Murphy caught fire and scored 16 second-half points to carry her team to victory. Hollingsworth finished with nine points and Vaughn tallied 13 points. Murphy finished with a game high 18 points.

The loss was VCU’s seventh straight and they currently own an 11-12 overall record and are 4-10 in Colonial Athletic Association action. The Rams looked to turn things around Sun. Feb. 19 when they went on the road to face George Mason.