The University of Georgia Bulldogs delivered a commanding performance against VCU on Thursday night, cruising to a 72-53 victory at the Henrico Sports & Events Center as part of the 4 Tha Culture Holiday Hoops Classic. 

Georgia established control early and never looked back, building a 19-point halftime lead and maintaining its dominance throughout the contest. The Bulldogs’ balanced offensive attack and stifling defense proved too much for the Rams to overcome. 

Ma Woolfolk paced Georgia’s offense with an efficient 27 minutes on the court, contributing significantly to the team’s 28-63 shooting performance from the field. Trinity Turner had an outstanding night, pouring in 23 points on 9-13 shooting from the field and 4-5 from beyond the arc. Her versatility was on full display as she also grabbed three rebounds and dished out five assists. 

Dani Carnegie added 13 points on a 4-15 shooting performance, while Vera Ojenuwa and Savannah Henderson chipped in with solid contributions. The Bulldogs’ three-point shooting was particularly effective, connecting on 9-27 attempts from deep. 

VCU faced an uphill battle all night, managing just 19-54 from the field. Kaden Knezevic led the Rams with nine points but struggled with efficiency, going 2-12 from the field. 

Patricia Augustin added eight points, while Cyriah Griffin contributed eight points along with three assists. The Rams’ shooting woes were evident across all four quarters. After scoring just 14 points in the opening period, VCU never found consistency, posting nine points in the second quarter before modest improvements in the second half. 

Georgia’s decisive second quarter proved to be the difference-maker. The Bulldogs outscored VCU 16-9 in that frame, extending their lead and effectively putting the game out of reach. The third quarter saw Georgia add an additional 14 points while holding VCU to 19, maintaining a comfortable margin heading into the final period. The Bulldogs capped off their performance with a dominant 28-point fourth quarter, their highest-scoring frame of the game. 

Georgia controlled the glass with a 36-27 rebounding advantage and forced 17 VCU turnovers while committing just 13 themselves. The Bulldogs also excelled in transition, outscoring the Rams 18-2 in fast break points. VCU’s plus-minus tells the story of the night, with the team finishing at -19. The Rams managed just two blocks compared to Georgia’s four and were outscored in paint points, 28-22. 

The tournament continued Saturday with the University of Richmond defeating Alabama A&M 72-58 in impressive fashion. Rachel Ullstrom led the Spiders with 20 points, knocking down six three-pointers on her way to her 14th career 20-point game. Richmond started strong, jumping out to a 13-0 lead with contributions from Tierra Simon, Maggie Doogan and Alicia Newell. The Spiders never trailed, leading 21-7 after the first quarter and 41-27 at halftime. 

Doogan added 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists for Richmond, while the Spiders’ bench contributed 25 points, led by Ava Persichetti with nine. Richmond shot 42.6% from the field and connected on 14 of 39 three-point attempts. Ally Sweeney facilitated the offense with six assists, and Sam Dewey posted a career-high seven rebounds. The victory improved Richmond to 10-3 on the season, while Alabama A&M fell to 4-8. 

VCU returned to action Saturday afternoon, falling to Penn State 78-66. Richmond closed out the holiday event Sunday afternoon with a convincing 70-54 victory over Penn State, while the Rams wrapped up their tournament appearance with losses in both of their games at the 4 Tha Culture Holiday Hoops Classic. 

University of Richmond guard Rachel Ullstrom attacks the basket during the Spiders’ 72-58 win over Alabama A&M on Saturday in the 4 Tha Culture Holiday Hoops Classic. Ullstrom finished with a game-high 20 points. (photo by Julianne Tripp Hillian)