COSEL’S 20 CAN’T RESCUE VCU FROM SLOW START IN 59-52 LOSS TO TOWSON
1-28-07
Box Score

RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia Commonwealth University senior guard Michele Cosel (Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee) (pictured) tied a career-high with 20 points, but her effort wasn’t enough to overcome a sluggish first half in a 59-52 loss to Towson Sunday at the Alltel Pavilion at the Stuart C. Siegel Center.

The loss is VCU’s second straight to drop it to 10-9 overall and 3-6 in the Colonial Athletic Association. Towson improves to 14-5 overall and 5-4 in the CAA.

Cosel, who has scored at least 14 points in each of the last four games, connected on 8-of-16 attempts from the field, including a season-high 4-of-9 from 3-point range. However, the rest of the team combined to shoot 10-of-46 from the floor. Cosel added four assists and four rebounds.

Sophomore center Quanitra Hollingsworth (Chesapeake, Va./Great Bridge) collected her fifth double-double of the season with 11 points and a game-high 17 rebounds. Junior forward Krystal Vaughn (Baltimore, Md./Lake Clifton-Eastern) added eight points and 13 boards.

Three players scored in double figures for Towson, including Alis Freeman, who pumped in 18 and handed out five assists with four steals.

VCU trailed by as many as 16 points in the second half, but whittled the margin down to five after back-to-back buckets from freshman Kita Waller (Gainesville, Ga./Gainesville) and Vaughn made it 41-36 with 12:02 remaining.

But the Rams would miss their next 11 shots and go nearly seven minutes without a field goal as the Tigers stayed in control.

VCU dug a 14-point hole in the first half after misfiring on 21 of 26 field goal attempts (19 percent), as well as 10 of its 14 free throw tries. The Rams shot 29 percent (18-of-62) for the game.

The Black and Gold return to the floor on Thursday, Feb. 1 when they take on third-place Delaware at 7 p.m. at the Alltel Pavilion at the Stuart C. Siegel Center.