Sunday, January 23, 2011

Wendy joins 600 club; JMU, W&M(!) winners; Cavaliers crush Hokies

Wendy got her 600th, Tech got killed, W&M finally earned a CAA win and James Madison took care of VCU. Three-way tie for first in the CAA among ODU, JMU and UNC Wilmington. What a Sunday of women's basketball.


Old Dominion 71, Towson 43:
We start with this game because of how monumental an achievement it is to win 600 games. Wendy is the 12th active Division I coach to reach that amount and the 21st D-I coach overall. What Larry must like most about this one was that it was a team effort. Alena Voronina led with 13 points, six boards and five steals; Kquanise Byrd had 12, Jasmine Parker, 11, Tia Lewis, 9. Just like old times, ODU (12-6, 6-1 CAA) led by 30.

Virginia 72, Virginia Tech 37
Brutal game for the Hokies, who drop to 0-5 in the ACC. The victory was the Cavaliers' most lopsided ACC win since 2001 (Maryland). It was Virginia Tech's lowest output ever in a conference game. An obviously dejected Beth Dunkenberger said after the game, "If you are wondering if this is rock bottom, I would say it is hard to imagine getting any lower than this. But they say once you hit rock bottom, you only have one way to go, and that is up. So, we'll look up." The Hokies coach also added, "I have no doubt in my mind that our team is very disappointed in how we played. But more importantly, in forgetting what a team is about." Meanwhile, the win was just what Virginia (12-9, 1-4) needed after a crushing loss to Maryland on Friday. Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said when the Cavs practiced on Saturday, "We talked a little bit about the game and tried to put the game behind us, but the mood was terrible. Not because they weren't ready to practice, just because they were very, very disappointed with what happened. When we got on the floor, everything changed. Everybody was very positive. It was a very short practice, but they went very hard."

James Madison 69, VCU 59
Silly us. We picked against the Dukes (13-6, 6-1) because of how potent the Rams looked a few days ago in defeating ODU. Well, JMU is pretty potent itself behind the usual suspect Dawn Evans (19 points, 7 assists). JMU also was at the line 29 times to VCU's 12 and took care of the boards behind Jalissa Taylor's 12. Yeah, Courtney Hurt did her damage with 26 points and nine rebounds (she's now passed the 1,000 mark). "It was a good win (but) you would love to play a little bit better," said JMU coach Kenny Brooks. "We've got to play a complete 40-minute game to be where we want to be.

William and Mary 69, George Mason 57
While we don't like to see any state team lose, we are happy to see the Tribe break into the conference win column. Shooting 54 percent from the field with 25 from Taysha Pye, it's a wonder these guys don't win more often. Pye caught fire in the second half when she scored 21 of her 25. After a tie at 37, W&M (2-15, 1-6 CAA) put together an 11-2 run that sealed it. Lady Monarchs make the trip to Williamsburg on Thursday.

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