This post was written Hatchet reporter Barbara Alberts.
Updated: Dec. 3, 2016 at 11:26 a.m.
After shooting only 23.5 percent from the field going into halftime, women’s basketball (6-2, 1-0 A-10) roared back against the VCU Rams (4-4, 0-1 A-10) to capture its first Atlantic 10 conference win of the season.
A 32-point third quarter helped GW overcome a nine-point halftime deficit, and secure the 81-67 victory at home Friday night.
“I’m excited to get our first Atlantic 10 win,” head coach Jennifer Rizzotti said. “[The game] was an excellent display of team basketball. I couldn’t be more proud…it says a lot about who we are this year, what this team really cares about.”
The Colonials ended the night with a season-high 32 made field goals and 25 assists in the contest, with multiple players bringing energy to the court in the second half.
Senior guard Hannah Schaible had a stand-out game, leading the team with 18 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds, and graduate transfer Lexi Martins posted her first career double-double for the Colonials off the bench with 11 points and 11 boards.
However, it was an uphill battle for the Colonials in the first half.
The Rams were red-hot in the opening quarter, shooting 61 percent from the field and 3-for-3 from beyond the arc to capture a 25-19 lead.
VCU senior guard Keira Robinson drove the Rams’ offense in the first frame, picking up seven points and along with redshirt senior guard Galaisha Goodhope’s five points and two assists.
The Colonials’ offense found a few points in the first quarter from fast breaks, but for the most part looked flat.
“I thought VCU came out tough and made things really hard for us in the beginning of the game,” Rizzotti said. ““I felt like we were just very stagnant on offense so we were doing quick-hit plays, trying to get certain guys shots.”
GW went just 23.5 percent from field in the second quarter and a disappointing 1-for-8 from deep across the first half.
Schaible picked up six points in the second quarter to keep the Colonials within reach, but VCU outscored GW 11-8 in the period to pull ahead 36-37 heading into halftime. The Rams were also able to outrebound GW 26-15 in the first half.
“We talked a lot at halftime about how we had to be more determined on the boards and making sure that things go our way,” Rizzotti said.
The second half was a whole new game for the Colonials. The home team came out with forceful a 15-8 offensive run to gain some momentum.
An aggressive drive to the basket in by Cummings early in the third quarter resulted in two points to make it a one possession game with the Rams leading 40-37.
After scoring only six points in the first half, Schaible put up eight more points, five assists and six rebounds in the third quarter alone.
“I think Hannah Schaible might be the most competitive player I’ve ever coached,” Rizzotti said. “The kid literally refuses to lose.”
Schaible continued to drive the offense, with three steals helping the Colonials pick up 10 second chance points in the quarter.
Graduate transfer Lexi Martins stepped up big for the Colonials as well, when foul trouble forced senior forward Caira Washington to the bench in the middle of the third period.
Martins picked up 10 points and 5 rebounds for GW, crashing the glass with confidence on the backcourt after grabbing zero defensive rebounds in the first half.
“I went out there trying to play with short-term memory of the first half where I struggled a little bit,” Martins said. “I tried to be aggressive and get on the boards.”
In the third quarter alone, the Colonials dropped 32 points and shot an impressive 60 percent from the field.
“In the third quarter we opened the floor up and reversed the ball multiple times,” Rizzotti said. “We got VCU’s defense to move, so it was a lot harder for them to double on the post.”
After a struggling from the field in the first half, sophomore guard Mei-Lyn Bautista hit a buzzer-beating three to close the quarter with a 59-49 Colonials’ lead.
The fourth quarter was merely a continuation of the Colonials’ determined comeback.
Junior forward Kelli Prange opened the final quarter by dropping eight points to help extend the Colonials’ lead to 20, while the visitors were held to just 26.7 percent shooting from the field.
The Colonials ended the night with 40 points in the paint, 20 points from the bench and a double-digit league victory.
“What I love about this group is they never seem to get rattled,” Rizzotti said.
The Colonials continue their homestand Sunday when they face Illinois at noon.
