Rams sweep Spiders

Andy Riddler, Contributing Writer

Women’s Basketball completed its season sweep of Richmond as redshirt-freshman guard Madison Hattix-Covington led the way for the Rams with a career-high 13 points, propelling the Rams to a 58-37 victory Saturday.

“Defenses underestimate her ability to hang in the air, so those and-ones — her teammates know where those are coming from — but she can score in a variety of ways,” coach Beth O’Boyle said.

Sophomore guard Tera Reed started off slowly with only two points in the first half, but she was all over the box score by the time the buzzer sounded as she finished with 9 points, four rebounds and four assists.

“[Reed] makes very timely plays. She’ll get a good steal, or she’ll make two foul shots, and she’ll get to the rim,” O’Boyle said. “Her defense, with her length, is huge for us.”

The Rams trailed 14-12 after the first quarter as a result of shooting 38.5 percent from the field and allowing Richmond to shoot 50 percent. VCU’s second-ranked defense strangled Richmond’s offense for the rest of the game, holding them to only 5.9 percent from the field in the fourth quarter.

“We had a really active zone in the second half that really helped us contain the ball a lot better,” O’Boyle said. “I think our depth makes a big difference. When you can sub-in 10 players that are going to go out there, push the ball and defend hard — it wears teams down.”

The Rams started rolling in the second quarter with an early 7-0 run for the first three minutes to give them a lead they did not relinquish. VCU shot 50 percent in the frame, entering halftime with a 30-27 lead.

The Black and Gold took control of the game in the third quarter following a 9-1 run — including five from Reed — that spanned two minutes to take the lead 39-30.

Piling it on in the final frame, VCU outscored Richmond 13-3, clinching the team’s fifth-straight win and its 12th in the last 13 games.

VCU will face Dayton at home Feb. 14 at 6 p.m.