VCU Dominates Coppin State In Front Of Record Crowd

In front of a record crowd of 4,132 at the E.J. Wade Arena at the Stuart C. Siegel Center, the Virginia Commonwealth Rams defeated the Coppin State Eagles in a rout, 73-44.

The game was never in doubt, up 11-8 with about a minute left in the first quarter, VCU went on a 6-0 run that gave them a 17-8 lead at the end of the first period. Then another quick 8-0 run in the second period, extended VCU’s lead to 29-12 before going into halftime up 37-23.

The Rams completely stifled the Eagles in the third quarter, holding them to only seven points, before putting on an offensive clinic in the fourth quarter. The Rams shot 7-of-11 from the field and 10-of-12 from the free throw line to score 24 points in the final frame.

The Rams calling card was defense last year and it looks like it will be again this year. VCU held Coppin State to 0-of-13 shooting from 3-point range and to 30 percent shooting from the floor.

In about every statistical category, the Rams had the advantage. They had a 38-14 edge in points in the point and there was no competition between the teams’ benches. VCU held a 38-9 margin in bench scoring and if you thought that was it, well you were wrong. The Rams also had a 53-31 advantage in rebounds including a 21-10 edge in offensive rebounds.

Senior guard Isis Thorpe had a team-high 11 points for VCU to go along with eight rebounds. Backcourt mate and senior guard Keira Robinson had a great all-around game to open her season filling the stat sheet. She finished with a team-high seven assists to go with seven points, six rebounds, and two steals. Junior forward Curteeona Brelove led the team with 10 rebounds.

With 13 players scoring for VCU, head coach Beth O’Boyle was proud of the all-around team effort in the season opener in front of the record crowd.

“It was a great atmosphere today. I loved having the Richmond area schools come and it was great to get the first win at home in front of our incredible fans. We had a great effort across the board from a variety of players. Our defensive intensity set the tone for us today and I was proud of how the girls played,” O’Boyle said.

The Rams will be back in action on Tuesday, November 15^th at 6 p.m. as they take on the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers at the E.J. Wade Arena at the Stuart C. Siegel Center.