“This is the group of recruits we’re going to build a program around.” VCU coach Beth O’Boyle, Oct. 30, 2017
Beth O’Boyle always knew what she had in the class of 2021 and four years later, those Rams and a couple of key additions are taking her to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in her coaching career.
VCU topped UMass 81-69 to win its first-ever Atlantic 10 title since entering the league in 2012. With it, the Rams get to dance for the first time since 2009.
This is VCU’s third straight appearance in the title game.
“I’ve been in these press conferences talking about the hardest defeat,” said O’Boyle, who, on Sunday, got to talk about the biggest victory of her coaching career. “It’s an incredible effort to finally cut down those nets.”
Three members of that star-studded class ranked 30th at the time by ESPN — Taya Robinson, Tera Reed, Madison Haddix-Covington — augmented by transfers Chloe Bloom and Janika Griffith-Wallace and freshman Sarah Te-Biasu powered VCU to a championship that came in the most unorthodox season in the sport. The Rams had three games postponed due to the pandemic. VCU lost the final game of the regular season to Rhode Island. They were a 5 seed in this event.
The Rams dispatched Davidson in the quarterfinals to set up a showdown with top-seeded Dayton, the team that ousted VCU a year ago in the conference final. The teams only met once this season with Dayton winning.
But the Rams owned this game almost from wire-to-wire behind 3-point shooting O’Boyle could have only dreamed about four years ago. They buried 10 treys in all with Robinson going 5-of-7 for 15 for her 19 points.
VCU led by as many as eight in the third quarter, but the Minutewomen climbed back, twice leading by a point. With Robinson fouled out with 2:54 left, it could have gotten dicey.
But VCU wasn’t rattled — surely not Reed, whose three-point play at 7:08 put the Rams on top for good.
Reed and Robinson remember that 7-22 season in 2017-18 when O’Boyle sent them into the fire.
“We were freshmen; we didn’t know what we were getting into coming in and starting; it was rough,” Robinson said. “We won seven games and we knew the next year, it wasn’t going to be like that.”
It wasn’t VCU finished 24-10 but fell to Fordham in the A-10 championship game, 62-47.
“We put in work, a lot of work, but we didn’t get what we wanted,” Robinson continued.
Last year the Rams were 20-12, but were upended by Dayton in the Flyers home gym to fall in a second consecutive championship game.”
“That really hurt, and this year it was like we can’t leave here without one.” Robinson said.
“It’s been our goal for years,” Reed added.
Robinson’s a product of Huguenot High, 15 minutes away from the Siegel Center where this one was played. While COVID prevented traditional fans from attending, Robinson was able to ticket a handful of family members and friends. “It was so sweet. I had as many people as I could in there,” she said.
Te-Blasu finished with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists. Griffith-Wallace scored 10; Bloom had eight and Hattix-Covington, 5.
“It was just about us. We were going to do whatever we had to do to get to this moment right here.”
That included a precious exchange between Robinson, after she fouled out, and Reed late in the game. Four of Robinson’s five 3s came in the first half. Reed scored 10 of her 12 points in the final 7:08 beginning with the three-point play that game VCU a lead it never relinquished.
They passed. Robinson told her she’d handle the bench. “I got it on the floor,” Reed assured.
The Rams were 19-of-23 from the free-throw line and outscored UMass by 10 in the final quarter.
VCU will fly to San Antonio, Texas, site of the NCAA Tournament, on Tuesday and learn their first-round opponent at 7 p.m. on Monday on ESPN’s selection show.
The best thing my parents ever taught me: My parents stressed to me how important education was at a young age. Neither of my parents graduated from high school and they realized how important receiving an education would be for me. They also taught me to work hard and put my best effort into everything I do. Person who influenced me the most: Dr. David Wilkinson, former chair of VCU’s Department of Pathology. He wholeheartedly supported my decision to return to medical school while I was working as a medical technologist in the Pathology Department. After completing a residency and working briefly in private practice, I returned to work under his direction in transfusion medicine at VCU.