Lady Rams back to their winning ways
The Lady Rams hosted two home games at the Siegel Center this past week where they faced off against Furman University on Nov. 29 and University of North Carolina at Wilmington on Dec. 2. Both games were impressive efforts by the Rams continuing to add to their striking start to the 2015-2016 season.
The Rams got off to a slow start against Wilmington in the first quarter with things moving slow offensively. UNCW took advantage and edged a three-point lead going into the second quarter, 13-10. VCU’s stifling defense held Wilmington to just eight points in the second quarter and were able to gain a three-point lead going into the half of a low-scoring affair.
VCU came out in the second half with a strong 11-0 run to break the game open. Senior Adaeze Alaeze was able to heat up, scoring 11 of her career high 22 points. Junior Camille Calhoun had another good outing for the Rams, scoring 12 and grabbing five boards. Just as the story has been in the previous Ram victories, the second-half defense ended up being too much for their opponents.
UNC Wilmington was held to shooting a mere 32 percent from the field. The offense also ran smoothly as junior Ashlee Mitchell contributed a team-high six assists.
Adaeze Alaeze felt that teamwork, although it may seem basic, has been the key to their success.
“Our chemistry is great,” Alaeze said. “Having a group of girls that we’re all willing to grind for, you’ll be willing to work through anything to get the win.”
VCU welcomed the Furman Paladins, who came in with just one loss on the year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Both teams began the game with high energy and their defenses being the story early, as neither squad was able to get comfortable offensively.
The first quarter ended with VCU leading with a score of 17-13. The second quarter was much the same, although the Rams were more successful at getting the lid off the basketball and starting to get it going offensively.
The Rams defense, led by Alaeze, had five steals on the night, making it hard for Furman to score all through the first half. VCU limited Furman to shooting 8-of-24 from the field as they went into the locker rooms with a seven-point lead, 31-24.
In the second half VCU was able to pull away from the Paladins with a dominant performance on the offensive and defensive end. The Lady Rams only allowed nine points in the third quarter while doubling that total on their end. Junior Ashley Pegram shined in the second half as she scored a season-high 16 points in twelve minutes off of the bench. VCU’s scoring was well-
balanced as 10 Rams were able to put points on the scoreboard.
Junior Isis Thorpe also came up big offensively contributing 14 points. VCU’s bench put in 38 points compared to just 10 from Furman, and the defense forced 21 turnovers. The game ended with another VCU blowout 67-45.
Head Coach Beth O’Boyle was proud of the way the team used their depth and played unselfishly to get the win.
“Our depth is one of the biggest pieces of our success,” O’Boyle said. “We can shuffle players in and not lose any intensity and also keep the tempo. We’re excited we got this one done ready to move on to Wilmington.
VCU will play Arizona State University this Saturday in the Arizona State Classic.
Staff Writer, Marcus Blackwell
Marcus is a junior majoring in mass communications with a concentration in broadcast journalism. Marcus enjoys sports and music. // Twitter | Facebook
blackwellm@commonwealthtimes.org
