Women’s hoops splits two games to start season

 Alonzo Small
Contributing Writer

After opening the season with a win against Youngstown State, the Lady Rams went toe-to-toe with Big Ten powerhouse Ohio State University, and were almost victorious.

In what was a nail-biter down the stretch, VCU cut a 15-point deficit to five, scoring 10 straight points to cut the score to 76-71 with 01:59 remaining in the game. Leading scorer Robyn Parks (26 points and seven rebounds) fouled out with 4:25 to go, but the Lady Rams still led a late rally.

VCU forced more than 20 turnovers for its second straight contest, and turned the Buckeyes’ errors into 26 points.

The Lady Rams shot from the perimeter early and often, converting on 11 of 45 (24 percent) three-point attempts. Freshman guard Keira Robinson scored in double digits for the first time this season, and sophomore guard Jessica Pellechio added 11 of her own.

Ohio State senior centers Ashley Addams and Darryce Moore scored 20 points apiece, leading a 48-20 advantage in the paint. The two helped shut out the Lady Rams in the last two minutes to secure an 83-71 Buckeyes victory.

Head coach Marlene Stollings’ team opened the season with a win against Youngstown State on Nov. 9. Four Lady Rams finished in double figures, led by freshman guard Monnazjea Finney-Smith ‘s 18 points off the bench in her collegiate debut.

Sophomore Adaeze Alaeze contributed 15 points off the bench, adding seven rebounds. Parks added 14 points, eight rebounds, and a team-high five steals. Pellechio notched 10 points.

Freshman Camille Calhoun was the Lady Rams’ leading rebounder with 10 total, seven offensive and three defensive. She also added two blocks.

The Lady Rams scored 33 points off of 27 Youngstown State turnovers. They recorded 23 steals on the evening, three shy of the school record of 26.

The early questions for Stollings and her staff have to do with the team’s inexperience. With seven true freshmen on the roster, and three starting, Stollings views her incoming recruits as laying the foundation for the future.

“They’re a fun group, they’re every eager to learn, they’re extremely talented, it’s been exciting for our staff to coach them and bring them along, there is an extreme amount of teaching going on which was to be expected with that many newcomers laying the foundation of the program,” Stollings said at A-10 Women’s Basketball Media Day on Oct. 22. “We have hopes of taking it into the top-25 here in future years and it’s a great foundation with this group in preparing for that.”

Gone are seniors Robyn Hobson, Daphne Adebayo, and Carleeda Green and sophomore Kaneisha Atwater, who transferred to Florida Gulf Coast University this past summer.

Parks, who in her breakout junior season averaged 18.7 points per game and 7.9 rebounds, now steps into the leadership position Stollings feels she is more than capable of handling.

“She is our leader, she is our best player hands down,” Stollings said. “She’s extremely talented, she has the opportunity to be a pro, and we will work everything around her. She is the centerpiece of what we want to do. We will go as she goes the entire season.”

Parks was recently named to the preseason All-Atlantic 10 first team, as well as the All-Defensive team.

The Lady Rams will be tested early as they open the season on the road seven out of their first eight games. Stollings’ team dealt with a similar obstacle last season, playing seven out of nine games on the road to open the season.

VCU held its home opener on Sunday Nov. 17, but a result was not final as of press time.

The A-10 women’s basketball preseason coaches poll has VCU finishing in seventh place.  Dayton University was voted to finish first, followed by Saint Joseph’s University. Duquesne University is predicted to finish third.

The next three games for the Lady Rams will be against Texas-Pan American on Nov. 21, Texas Arlington on Nov. 24 and UNC Greensboro on Nov. 27.