Briante Weber’s Jersey Retirement Highlights VCU’s 90-70 Victory

(Richmond, VA) — The VCU men’s basketball team defeated the William & Mary Tribe 90-70 on Sunday afternoon, wrapping up their non-conference schedule. Before the game, the Rams honored former player Briante Weber by retiring his jersey. Weber, who played for VCU from 2011 to 2015, is the program’s all-time leader in steals with 374.

Joe Bamisile led the Rams with 20 points, while Gabe Dorsey paced the Tribe with 16 points.

The game opened with Max Shulga’s jumper at 18:23 remaining, putting the Rams ahead 2-0. The Tribe tied the game at 2 with a jumper by Chase Lowe. An 8-0 run by the Rams, capped by a dunk from Jack Clark, gave VCU a 10-4 lead. Luke Bamgboye’s layup extended the Rams' advantage to 19-11. However, the Tribe responded with a 9-0 run to take a brief 20-19 lead.

VCU regained control when Joe Bamisile’s layup put the Rams up 21-20. The Tribe’s Malachi Ndur hit two consecutive three-pointers to give William & Mary its largest lead, 26-21, with 6:42 left in the first half. The Rams reclaimed the lead for good at 4:01 remaining when Jack Clark sank two free throws, making it 36-35. By halftime, the Rams had extended their lead to 42-37.

In the second half, the Tribe briefly narrowed the gap to six points after Gabe Dorsey made 1 of 2 free throws, making it 49-43. However, the Rams responded with a 10-0 run, fueled by Zeb Jackson (a three-pointer and a jumper) and Joe Bamisile (a jumper and a three-pointer), to take a commanding 59-43 lead with 15:05 remaining.

Zeb Jackson’s three-pointer of the game, coming with 11:29 left, capped a 7-0 run that put the Rams ahead 68-48. His layup at the 4:16 mark gave VCU its largest lead of the day, 83-57. The Rams maintained control and closed the game with a 90-70 victory.

With this win, the Rams improve to 10-3. They will open Atlantic 10 Conference play on Tuesday, December 31, with a road game against St. Bonaventure. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.

VCU Women Shine in 72-42 Victory Over LIU

(Richmond, VA) VCU Women's Basketball concluded their non-conference slate on Saturday with a dominant 72-42 victory over the LIU Sharks. The Rams' defense was stellar, holding the Sharks to just 30% shooting from the field (16-52), including an astonishing 0-14 in the third quarter. Janessa Williams led the Sharks with 18 points, while Mary-Anna Asare paced the Rams with 14 points.

The Rams jumped out to an early lead, with Mary-Anna Asare’s layup at the 7:37 mark in the first quarter putting them ahead 8-0. The Sharks got on the board with a jumper from Sirviva Legions, trimming the deficit to six. However, VCU extended their advantage with contributions from Cyriah Griffin, who nailed a three-pointer, and Lucia Sotelo, whose layup made it 23-5 with 2:35 remaining in the first quarter. Jennifer Ezeh added a layup with 1:23 left, pushing the Rams' lead to 25-7. VCU was highly efficient in the opening quarter, shooting 76% from the field (10-13) and going a perfect 100% from beyond the arc, ending the period with an 18-point lead.

In the second quarter, Grace Hutson’s three-pointer at the 8:11 mark gave the Rams their largest lead at the time, 30-9. The Sharks responded with a 6-0 run, fueled by three-pointers from Estie Varga and Candela Garcia-Escribano, cutting the Rams' lead to 15. After Mary-Anna Asare ended the Sharks’ run with a layup, Janessa Williams hit a layup and a three-pointer, bringing LIU closer. Williams’ three-pointer with 2:51 left in the quarter narrowed the gap to 35-23, the closest the Sharks would get. Mykel Parham’s layup with 1:05 remaining sent the Rams into halftime with a 37-23 advantage.

The Rams carried their momentum into the third quarter, going on a massive 22-0 run that spanned nearly the entire period. Following Parham’s layup to close the second quarter, VCU scored 20 unanswered points to extend their lead to 57-23 with 1:03 remaining in the third. The Sharks’ offensive struggles continued, as they missed all 14 field goal attempts in the quarter. Sirviva Legions managed to hit one of two free throws in the final seconds, giving the Sharks their first point of the period, but the Rams ended the third quarter with a commanding 57-24 lead.

Isabel Whitelaw’s three-pointer with 1:25 left in the fourth quarter gave VCU their largest lead of the game at 72-36. The Sharks closed the game on a 6-0 run, but it was far too late, as the Rams secured a decisive 72-42 victory.

What’s Next?

The Rams (6-6) will open Atlantic 10 conference play on the road against Saint Joseph’s at 2 p.m. on Sunday, December 29th.

Spiders’ Balanced Attack Secures Victory Over Lions 85-76

(Henrico, VA) – The Richmond Spiders women's basketball team returned to the Henrico Sports and Events Center on Sunday for the first time since capturing the A-10 Women's Tournament title last March. The Spiders defeated the Columbia Lions 86-75 in a thrilling matchup, shooting 65% from the field (34-52). All five Spiders starters scored in double figures, with Maggie Doogan leading the charge with 21 points. Columbia's Kitty Henderson led the Lions with 21 points.

Katie Hill put the Spiders on the board in the game's opening minute, but Perri Page responded for the Lions with a layup and two free throws to tie the game at 4-4 with 7:43 left in the first quarter. The Spiders countered quickly as Maggie Doogan's layup and Addie Budnik's three-pointer gave them a 9-4 lead. Budnik continued her hot start by hitting a three-pointer and adding a layup to extend the lead to 14-6 with 5:45 remaining in the first quarter. Budnik’s three-pointer gave the Spiders their largest lead at 27-15.

The Lions roared back, with Cecelia Collins hitting a three-pointer and Mia Broom adding a jumper to cut the Spiders' lead to 27-20 by the end of the first quarter.

Kitty Henderson’s layup early in the second quarter capped a 7-0 run for the Lions, trimming the deficit to 27-22. Riley Weiss hit a three-pointer with 6:26 left in the second quarter to bring Columbia within one point at 28-27. However, the Spiders responded with layups from Katie Hill and Maggie Doogan, followed by a Doogan three-pointer to push the lead back to 35-27.

Columbia kept fighting, with Weiss connecting on another three-pointer and Collins adding a jumper to pull within three, 39-36, in the half's closing seconds. Hill's buzzer-beating jumper gave the Spiders a 43-38 lead heading into the locker room.

The Lions came out strong in the third quarter, with Cecelia Collins' layup cutting the lead to 43-42. But the Spiders regained control with contributions from Rachel Ullstrom and a three-pointer by Budnik, extending their lead to 48-42. Ally Sweeney’s layup pushed the Spiders ahead 53-45, but Columbia answered again. A jumper from Collins, a Weiss three-pointer, and a Page layup brought the Lions within one at 53-52. Sweeney’s layup, with 25 seconds remaining in the third quarter, gave Richmond a 60-56 advantage in the final period.

Columbia’s Mia Broom hit a three-pointer in the fourth quarter to cut the Spiders' lead to 65-61 with 8:40 remaining in the 4th quarter. Richmond then unleashed a decisive 10-0 run, fueled by two three-pointers from Ullstrom and layups by Hill and Doogan, pushing the lead to 75-61 with 5:16 to play. Hill’s layup extended Richmond’s lead to its largest of the day at 80-64 with 3:38 remaining.

The Spiders held firm in the closing minutes, sealing an 86-75 victory and improving their record to 9-1.

Next up, the Richmond Spiders will host the Texas Longhorns at the Robins Center on Sunday, December 15, with tip-off scheduled for 1 PM.