VCU seniors go out with a win

VCU overcame a four-point halftime deficit to win 78-67 against Georgia State Sunday. The Rams had three players score in double figures, led by junior Brittany Pinkney (Clinton, Md./The Patterson School), who scored 12 of her career-high 21 points in the first half. Quanitra Hollingsworth (Chesapeake, Va./Great Bridge) helped out with 20 points and nine rebounds. Krystal Vaughn (Baltimore, Md./Lake Clifton-Eastern) had 15 points off of the bench. Seniors Michele Cosel (Mechanicsville,Va./(Atlee) and Miranda Smith added nine points apiece for the Rams.

The Score
VCU 78
GSU 67

The Rams got off to a fast start by getting a 12-0 lead within the first few minutes of the game. Then the Panthers countered with their own 18-6 run to tie the game at 18-18 with 7:20 remaining in the first half. Throughout the rest of the first half no team was able to maintain a lead larger than five points.

To open the second half, the rams went on a 15-4 run within the first five minutes to take the lead at 41-36 on a layup by Pinkney. The lead expanded to as large as 15 at 56-41 on a jump shot by Vaughn with a little less than 10 left in the game.

The lead of 15 still was not enough to seal the game. GSU’s Kelcey Roegiers-Jensen single handedly kept her team in the game by scoring a game-high 27 points and hitting big shots whenever VCU’s lead grew.

The Panthers were able to come as close as three at 69-66 with 3:15 remaining, as close as they would get. Pinkney and Hollingsworth were able to grab key offensive rebounds in the final minutes to give VCU extra offensive possessions. This forced GSU to foul, and VCU was able to hit most of their free throws down the stretch to make the lead seemingly insurmountable.

With the win VCU is now riding a five-game winning streak, and they are now 9-8 in the CAA and 16-11 overall. They close out the regular season on Thursday with a game at William & Mary to decide the No. 5 seeding for the CAA tournament.