VCU Women's Kick-Off Season with Career Highs from Lewis-Eutsey and Hutson: Defeat Hawks 75-60

VCU Women's Basketball won their season opener game on Wednesday, defeating the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks 75-60. The Rams were led by Timaya Lewis-Eutsey, who had a career-high 28 Points, and Grace Hutson scored a career-high 17 points. Zamara Haynes led the Hawks with 23 points.

Mahogany Lester's jumper with 4:46 remaining in the 1st quarter capped a 7-0 run by the Hawks as they led 7-0. The Rams countered as Zoli Khalil's layup put the Rams on the board. During the play, Zoli was fouled and missed the free throw, as the Hawks led 7-2. Mary-Anna Asare drained a 3 with 1:08 remaining in the 1st quarter to cut the Hawks lead to 4 (12-8).

Timaya Lewis-Eutsey had two consecutive driving layups, plus a free-throw to put the Rams up 13-12 with 9:28 remaining in the 2nd quarter. On the following possession, Grace Hutson drained a 3-pointer to extend the Ram's lead to 4 (16-12) with 8:57 remaining in the 2nd quarter. Timaya Lewis-Eutsey's free throw with 8:09 remaining capped a 12-0 run, which was the Rams largest run of the game as the Rams went up 17-12. Grace Hutson connected on a pair of 3-pointers as the Rams extended their lead to 9 (23-14). Mahogany Lester's three-point play (layup followed by a made free throw) ended the Ram's lead as the Hawks trailed by 6. The Rams went to halftime with a 35-25 lead.

Zamara Haynes's layup to start the 3rd quarter cut the Rams lead to 8 points (35-27). The Rams countered with a layup by Timaya Lewis-Eutsey to put the Rams up Double digits (37-27). The Rams maintained their lead in the 3rd quarter as the Rams Led 55-44 entering the 4th quarter. Zamara Haynes's 3-point play cut the Rams lead to 7 as the Rams led 55-47. The Rams countered as they went on a 9-0 run, including a Timaya Lewis-Eutsey 3 pony play. Driving layup, sinking a pair of free throws, & a pair of free throws made by Jennifer Ezeh as the Rams led 67-47 with 6:46 remaining in the 4th quarter. Adebukola Akomolafe's layup with .56 seconds remaining gave the Rams an 18-point lead, which was the largest lead the Rams had (75-57). The Rams held on to win 75-60.

The Rams (1-0) will face Howard on Sunday, November 10th. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 pm.

VCU's High-Octane Offense, Led by Shulga and Bamisille, Defeats Bellarmine 84-65

RICHMOND, VA: The VCU Rams kicked off their 57th season on Monday, defeating the Bellarmine Knights 84-65. The Rams were led by Max Shulga, who had 19 points and went 6-6 from the field (4-4 on 3-point attempts). Four Rams scored in Double Figures (Phillip Russell 16 points, Jack Clark 11 points, Joe Bamisille 18 points). Joe Bamisile scored his 1,000th point on Monday, joining Max Shulga, Phillip Russell, and Jack Clark as 1,000-point scorers in their collegiate career. The Rams connected on 15 of 29 3-pointers and shot 53% from the field (29-55). The Knights were led by Ben Johnson & Dezmond McKinney, who had 15 points apiece. The Rams were without Zeb Jackson, named A 10 Preseason All-Defensive Team. Jackson suffered a fracture to the fourth metacarpal bone in his left hand. The timetbale for recovery is 4-6 weeks.

Joe Bamisille's thunderous dunks put the Rams on the board in the first 23 seconds of the game. Max Shulga's 3-pointer with 13:05 remaining in the 1st half put the Rams on a 6-0 run as the Rams led 16-8. On the following possession, Dezmond McKinney's layup ended the Rams' 6-0 run. Phillip Russell's 4-point play capped a Rams 7-0 Run as the Rams led 26-15 with 9:26 remaining in the 1st half. The Knights responded with an 8-0 Run to cut the Rams lead to 3 (26-23). The Rams would counter as Max Shulga nailed a pair of Free Throws to put the Rams on a 9-0 run to put the Rams up 35-23 with 4:23 remaining in the 1st half. The Rams had their most significant lead in the 1st half, leading 38-25 with 4:05 remaining. The Knights countered with a 6-0 run to cut the Rams lead to 7 with 2:49 remaining in the 1st half. The Rams led 45-38 at Halftime.

Joe Bamilisile's pair of dunks electrified the crowd of 7,637 to extend the Rams' longest game run (10-0) and the largest lead (19) as the Rams led 70-51 with 10:13 remaining in the 2nd half. Jack Karasinski's 3-pointer ended the Ram's 10-0 run. Micheal Belle hit 1of two free throws to cap a 7-0 run for the Rams as they led 81-63 with 2:58 remaining in the game. The Rams held on to defeat the Knights 84-65

The Rams (1-0) will face Boston College on Friday, November 8th, in the Veterans Classic at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. The tip-off is scheduled for 6 PM.

BOX SCORE

Seven Sacks & Seven Consecutive Wins: Spiders Triumph Over Towson 35-24

RICHMOND, VA: The Richmond Spiders won their 7th consecutive game on Saturday, defeating the Towson Tigers 35-24. The Spiders 7-game win streak is the longest since 2015. Spiders quarterback Camden Coleman, who was named CAA Offensive Player of the Week following last week's game, went 17-26 230 yards and 2 Touchdowns. The Spiders' defense forced three turnovers & had 7 Sacks (most since 2019), whereas Defensive End Jeremiah Grant had three sacks.

On the Spiders' opening possession, Camden Coleman connected with wide receiver Landon Ellis for a 13-yard touchdown to cap a 14-play, 85-yard drive (Brandon Peskin missed the extra point attempt) to put the Spiders up 6-0 with 7:46 remaining in the 1st quarter. On the opening possession for the Tigers, Carlos Davis ran for 1 yard. Jeremiah Grant forced a fumble, and Spiders Defensive end Camden Byrd recovered the fumble for 7 yards at the Towson 19-yard line. The Spiders would capitalize following the Turnover as Placekicker Sean O'Haire nailed a 21-yard field goal to put the Spiders up 9-0 with 4:23 remaining in the 1st Quarter.

The Tigers capitalized on the following possession: Running back Devin Matthews ran for a 1-yard touchdown run (a PAT attempt by Keegan Vaughan was good) to cut the Spiders lead to 2 with 14:57 remaining in the 2nd quarter. Camden Coleman connected with Landon Ellis for a 10-yard touchdown pass to put the Spiders up 16-7 (PAT attempt by Sean O'Haire was good) with 5:44 remaining before halftime. Keegan Vaughn nailed a 22-yard field goal to cut the Spiders lead to 6. Tigers Running back Chris Watkins rushed for 3 yards and fumbled. Jeremiah Grant forced the fumble as Safety Jabril Hayes received on the Towson 14-yard line. Following the turnover, Sean O'Haire kicked a 22-yard field goal as time expired to put the Spiders up 19-10 at halftime.

The Tigers would cut the Spider's lead on their 1st possession of the 2nd half. Tyrell Greene Jr rushed for 4 yards to cap a 13-play, 74-yard drive to cut the Spiders lead to 2. Sean O'Haire kicked a 47-yard attempt to put the Spiders up 22-17 with 5:50 remaining in the 3rd quarter. On the opening play of the 4th quarter, Jabril Hayes intercepted Tigers Quarterback Sean Brown's pass and returned it for a 90-yard touchdown, which was the 1st time the Tigers allowed an interception for a touchdown since November 6, 2021 (when they faced the Spiders) to put the Spiders up 29-24. Sean O'Haire connected on a 36-yard and 18-yard field goal in the 4th quarter as the Spiders sealed the 35-24 win.

The Spiders 7-2, 4-0 CAA will face Campbell on Saturday, November 9th. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 pm.