Game 2: Gophers at VCU (11/15/16)

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Ignatius L Hoops

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Minnesota at VCU

Stollings returns to VCU (three players remain from Stolling's teams (Isis Thorpe, Camille Calhoun and Kiera Robinson (all starters)). The Rams opened the season at home defeating Coppin State 73-44.

Last year, VCU was 23-10 (10-6 in the A 10). Games of note: VCU defeated Arizona State 57-48, split with (new Badger coach) George Tsipis's George Washington's squad and lost in the WNIT's first round to Virginia 52-50. The Rams are coached by Beth O'Boyle (previously at Stony Brook) who replaced Stollings. Like the Gophers, VCU lost its leading scorer from last season, Adaeze Alaeze; but, unlike Rachel, Aleaze only averaged 11 points/game.

Probable VCU Starters:

Sandra Skinner so F 6'1"
Maonah Rowsers sr G 5'9"
Kiera Robinson sr G 5'8"
Camille Calhoun jr G/F 6'0"
Isis Thorpe sr G 5'8

Yes the Rams seem to lack height.

For more on the Rams we turn to the invaluable Lady Swish Blog:

http://ladyswish.blogspot.com/2016/10/comings-and-goings-vcu-2016-17-season.html

Camille Calhoun is healthy again after tearing her ACL. O'Boyle says the 6-foot junior is progressing well in drills; if she can overcome the mental hurdle of rebounding from such a serious injury, she could be the Rams' best offensive weapon. Calhoun averaged 11.3 ppg through seven games last fall before hurting her knee in December.

Mooriah Rowser gives VCU another scoring option. She's a versatile playmaker who's capable of taking it off the bounce or shooting the 3. She shot 44 percent from the field and drained 35 3-pointers at Memphis; her experience makes her an immediate impact player.

Isis Thorpe, Ashley Pegram and Keira Robinson also return along with Curteeona Brelove. All benefitted from the Rams state-of-the-art practice facility that requires a fingerprint to enter any hour of the day. Thorpe is set to become the all-time leader in 3-pointers at VCU. With 185 in her career, she is 11 shy of the record.

Point guard GG Goodhope, hampered by a foot injury and out for the first nine games of last season, will look to finish out her senior year with a bang as a distributor who isn't shy about shooting.

Among the newbies, Hammond is an intriguing matchup who is able to shoot the 15-footer. "She's great to watch," O'Boyle said. "You don't necessarily see big post players do a lot of the things she does."...


...Don't sleep on these Rams. They won 23 games a year ago and look to make inroads in a competitive A-10. Minnesota is on the sked, too; the game will pit O'Boyle against VCU's last coach, Marlene Stollings, whose recruits include Thorpe, Robinson and Calhoun.
 

http://ladyswish.blogspot.com/2016/11/ex-vcu-staff-meet-new-vcu-staff.html

Who ya got in Tuesday's Minnesota-VCU game? Our money is on the team with the former state championship point guard at Princess Anne High.

That way we can't lose - when the teams square off at 6 p.m. Tuesday at VCU, both will have the Virginia Beach angle well-covered

Golden Gophers true freshman Gadiva Hubbard, who led PA to three straight state titles, debuted for Minnesota Saturday with 16 points, eight rebounds [assists, ed.] and five steals Saturday in a 103-87 victory over Harvard.

VCU counters with redshirt senior GG Goodhope, who was part of a 2011 Princess Anne state title team that included WNBA Most Improved Player Elizabeth Williams, former Radford All-Big South guard Aisha Foy and ex-William and Mary star Jazmen Boone.


The Minnesota staff also includes associate head coach Nikita Lowry Dawkins, who was the first member of Stollings' VCU staff and prior to that spent seven seasons as the right hand to Old Dominion's Wendy Larry. Another Golden Gophers assistant, Tamisha Augustin, spent one year under Stollings at VCU.
 

I thought the A-10 posted streams of all their games. Did anybody find a stream for this game? I checked yesterday and didn't see one.
 


http://www.richmond.com/sports/college/atlantic-10/article_07d547a9-f2ab-51f3-9083-950e26ebfb7d.html

Why are the Gophers playing at VCU?

Stollings served as VCU’s women’s basketball coach for two promising seasons before stepping down in April 2014 to take command of the women’s program at the University of Minnesota. She brings her Golden Gophers to the Siegel Center tonight for VCU’s first home date against a Big Ten opponent in 13 years.

Make no mistake: This is a business trip — one made necessary by the buyout clause in Stollings’ VCU contract. But it also is personal. Stollings said the Gophers’ visit to VCU will be, to some extent, a sentimental journey.

On the decision to leave:

Optimism was palpable. Ascent seemed likely, if not inevitable. Then Minnesota beckoned. Stollings, an Ohio native whose appreciation of Big Ten history and traditions runs deep, said “Yes.” But not immediately. And not without hesitation.

“People thought, ‘Well, it’s the Big Ten — of course you’ll go,’” she said. “They thought it was a no-brainer. Believe me: It wasn’t. Certainly it wasn’t as simple or as easy as a lot of people wanted to think. I struggled with it. I had a very tough time with it.”

In particular, Stollings said, “it was so very hard to say goodbye” to a rising sophomore class that included current seniors Keira Robinson, Isis Thorpe and Ashlee Mitchell.

“Those kids believed in me and I cared so much for them,” Stollings said. “They were near and dear to my heart. Probably they always will be.”

She said she sought the counsel of Shaka Smart, at the time VCU’s men’s coach, and athletics director Ed McLaughlin. Ultimately, she said, pragmatism won the day. The opportunities and resources offered by Minnesota simply were too appealing to ignore.
 


Weirdly inconsistent game but I guess that happens with a young team on the road (although, come to think of it, the freshmen did not play much). Still: A win.
 

Nice win for the Gophers, although a bit ragged at times and lots of things to work on. Wagner with 26 points, but it took her 27 shots from the field to get the 26. But some big buckets in the fourth quarter for her. Bell with 24 points and 8 assists in her Gopher debut. Edwards with a double-double on 12 points and 11 boards. Gophers only 10 of 20 from the free throw line. First year players Hubbard, T. Bello and Brunson not factors tonight with 6 points between them, but got some valuable PT on the road.
 


Gophers Win 79-69

Each quarter was a separate game. A sluggish first quarter ended with VCU leading 13-12. Minnesota's offense launched in the second quarter outscoring VCU 29-9. In the third, the Rams drove past the Gophers 25-16. And in the fourth, Minnesota played it out, behind a quick point flurry from Wagner, 22-22.

Ten players played although Stollings pretty much kept Wagner and Bell on the court. All in all, Stollings rolled with a different rotation than last game. Edwards and Barnes combined for a much needed 16 points and 15 rebounds.

Minnesota was 10-20 from the foul line and 5-16 from behind the arc.

23 TURNOVERS! Wagner had 6, Bell 4, Hedstrom, Barnes and Edwards each had 1. Everybody else each had 2. I guess the good news is that your two posts (Barnes and Edwards only totaled 2)

And there were 21 fouls called against Minnesota: Hubbard and Edwards each had four. Hubbard's playing time was obviously impacted.


Starters (Bell gets her first start)

Bell
Brunson
Wagner
Tinjum
Edwards


Minutes Played

38 Bell: 24 points, 8 assists
37 Wagner 26 points, 6 turnovers
33 Starr: 4 points 9 rebounds, 2 assists
26 Edwards: 12 points and 11 rebounds
20 T Bello
13 Hedstrom
10 Barnes
9 Tinjum
8 Hubbard
6 Brunson
 




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