VCU topples Northeastern 68-39 in the final women’s basketball home game
and honors players Quanitra Hollingsworth and Radoslava Bachvarova.
On senior day, the Virginia Commonwealth University women’s basketball team and fans stood up and cheered for seniors Quanitra Hollingsworth and Radoslava Bachvarova. Then the Rams went out and put on a standout performance against the Northeastern University Huskies in their final regular season game at home.
The Rams won 68-39 to complete a 16-0 season at the VCU Stuart C. Siegel Center. They improved to 14-3 in the Colonial Athletic Association, 24-5 overall. Northeastern is 7-10, 10-18. Elsewhere in the CAA, Drexel University defeated George Mason University. The results mean Drexel will be the top seed in the CAA tournament and VCU will be second.
But seedings and sorting out standings were the second story yesterday. The afternoon belonged to Hollingsworth and Bachvarova.
Hollingsworth — from Chesapeake, Va. — was joined by her mother Angela Pelzer, stepfather Marvin Pelzer, brother Marvin Pelzer Jr. and sister Nylah Pelzer. Bachvarova — from Varna, Bulgaria — was accompanied by her cousin Alex Bachvarova, who made the trip from Kent State University in Ohio to join in the ceremony.
Hollingsworth, the only women’s player in VCU history with at least 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, saw her jersey dropped from the rafters before the game. She responded by scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 rebounds — the 52nd “double-double” of her career.
Bachvarova finished with 10 points, two rebounds, three assists and two steals.
“An outstanding effort by our kids today, really in all facets of the game,” said VCU women’s basketball coach Beth Cunningham. “We got great contributions from everybody. It was something we really wanted to do. It was a special day, honoring our two seniors and to go undefeated at home is really special. It was a great way to cap it off, especially for these seniors who have meant so much to our program.”
The jersey retirement was kept a surprise from Hollingsworth, who admitted getting a little emotional.
“It’s been a long time [...] it hasn’t really hit me yet,” she said. “I got a little teary-eyed out there. The season is not over. We still have a lot left. We still have to keep working. But it was a special day.”
Bachvarova agreed.
“It was a very emotional day,” she said. “I’ve been here only for two years. I love this place. I love this team, my coaches. It is going to be hard leaving. I’m glad VCU has been a wonderful experience for me.”
VCU took the suspense out of this one early, scoring the game’s first eight points. The Rams moved out to a 14-point lead at halftime and the Huskies never got any closer than that in the second half.
The Rams’ defense was exceptional. Northeastern was only 15-52 on the day and VCU was balanced, as it has been in its best performances all season. Junior La’Tavia Rorie (Charlotte, N.C.) led the way with 18 points. Junior Kita Waller (Gainesville, Ga.) had 13, Hollingsworth 11, Bachvarova 10 and sophomore Jessica Taylor (Northumberland, Va.) nine.
Four players had four or more rebounds, four had three or more assists and four had at least two steals. The Rams shot an even 50 percent for the day (27-54).
“Defense is something we focus on,” Cunningham said. “It has been one of the biggest reasons for our success this year. We talked at halftime trying to turn it up a notch on the defensive end and really bear down. I thought we did that. It is something we’ve emphasized from day one, defensive and rebounding. We were able to do that today. We had great efficiency on offense. I thought we were really sharp.”
With the game in hand, Cunningham was able to bring Bachvarova and Hollingsworth out one at a time with a bit more than two minutes to play. Each received an ovation close to what they got in pregame. They were greeted by hugs from their coaches and teammates.
Hollingsworth had to jog right under the banner with her jersey on it.
“When they dropped that jersey, it wasn’t just for me,” she said. “It was for everybody that ever practiced with us, everybody that supported us. That says a lot.”
Photo: VCU honors senior women’s basketball players Quanitra Hollingsworth (center) and Radoslava Bachvarova (far right), who are joined by their family and coach Beth Cunningham. Photo by Eddie Johnson.
