The UNCW Seahawks came into the Siegel Center at a disadvantage. The Seahawks have a max roster of 8 this season and have a 0-16 record in non-conference road contests going back to the start of the 2012-2013 season. In contrast the VCU Rams have a deep bench that Coach Beth O’Boyle takes full advantage of for a fast paced press and a 14-4 record at home since O’Boyle took the reigns last season.
VCU was first on the board off a jumper from Adaeze Alaeze followed by a layup from Camille Calhoun for a quick 4-0 advantage. UNCW responded with a lay up from Madison Raque to cut the lead to 2. Then Reeves followed it up with 2 from the line to tie it up. Then Raque added a 3 and the Seahawks took their first lead 7-4. Alaeze countered with a lay up to cut the visitor lead to 1 and back and forth ensued but UNCW would hang on to the lead and end the quarter with a 3 point advantage over the Rams at 13 -10.
In the second quarter the Rams would again be first on the board with a lay up from Isis Thorpe and 3 point conversion to tie it up at 13. Alaeze gave the Rams back the lead with a 3 pointer that was answered by a quick jumper from Cole to cut it back to 1 point difference 16-15. Alaeze put up another 2 and sparked an 8-0 VCU run. UNCW found their next gear and answered with a 6-0 run to cut the Ram lead with the Rams holding on at 23 – 21 going into half time.
The Rams came in with a vengeance in the third quarter opening with a 13-0 run holding the Seahawks scoreless until 3:12. Alaeze doubled her scoring from the first 2 quarters going from 9 to 18 points in the third period. UNCW never backed down despite the growing VCU lead and they continued to apply defensive pressure. The Seahawks added 10 points in the final minutes, but the Rams were able to extend their lead to double digits and end the quarter at 41 – 31.
The final quarter was jump started by Alaeze but UNCW continued to challenge the Rams with counter attacks. After a three pointer from Raque at 4:00 the deficit was at 8 and that was the closest the Seahawks would come before the final buzzer. In all 9 Rams put points on the board with Alaeze at the top at 22 points followed by Calhoun at 12. Despite a scrappy defense from UNCW 7 players the Rams ground out another win and claimed a 58 – 45 victory. This brings Coach O’Boyle to a 5-1 with a perfect 3-0 at home in her second season with VCU.
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