Women’s basketball (8-14, 1-9 A-10) extended their losing streak to six, struggling to find their offensive groove in a 51-71 loss to VCU (19-3, 8-2 A-10) on Sunday in Richmond, Virgina.
The Revs sputtered out of the gate as the Rams took the lead at the start of the game and never looked back. The Rams were far more efficient on offense, shooting a scalding 50.9 percent from the field and 40 percent from three. Predictably, GW struggled against the Rams’ menacing defensive front that currently ranks first among DI teams in scoring defense, shooting 32.8 percent from the field and just 16.7 percent from three over the course of the game.
Graduate student guard Essence Brown led the Revs in scoring with 13 points, shooting 6 of 11 from the field to go along with her nine rebounds. Sophomore guard Nya Robertson, who leads the team in scoring for the second season with 15.9 points per game, had another quiet offensive game. She scored just 7 points on a paltry two of 17 from the field and one of seven from beyond the arc.
The Rams took control of the game from the jump, as guard Timaya Lewis-Eutsey sunk a layup and a jumper to propel VCU to an early 9-2 lead. By the end of the first, the Rams had gone 10 of 15 from the field while holding the Revs to just five field goals on 29.4 percent shooting.
Down 13 points with 3:40 minutes left in the first, Brown made a jumper to halt the 10-0 run Rams. VCU finished the quarter up 24-10, putting the Revs on the ropes early.
With 19 seconds remaining of the first half, Robertson hit her first and only 3-pointer of the game to bring the halftime score to 24-42.
The third quarter was more of the same for the Revs offensively, including a four-minute scoring drought, as they were only able to connect 27.27 percent of their shots. Brown ended the drought with GW’s lone third-quarter three with 4:33 left in the quarter.
In the final quarter, VCU extended their lead with an early 10-0 run, giving them a 31 point lead, 71-40. With 4:30 minutes left and the game all but over, the Revs finally came to life, going on a 11-0 run to wrap up the game.
The Revolutionaries have struggled throughout the course of conference play, consistently finding themselves outmatched on both ends of the court. The squad is currently 1-9 and is tied with St. Bonaventure for 13th-place in the A-10 standings.
The Revolutionaries will head back to the Smith Center to battle against the Bonnies as they look to make a final push to turn their season around (4-17, 1-9 A-10) on Feb. 7 at 6 p.m.
