Lady Buccaneers Drop Season Opener to Virgin Islands National Team
St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, November 1, 2024 – The University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) women's basketball team dropped its season opener 72-39 to the Virgin Islands Senior Women's National Team in an exhibition game Thursday night at the Elridge Blake Sports and Fitness Center. The game drew a crowd of just under 1,000 fans to experience the University's homecoming game.
The game began with UVI engaged in a competitive back-and-forth battle with its opponents, showing promise for an exciting matchup. The first quarter saw both teams exchanging baskets, resulting in two ties and five lead changes. The VI Women's National Team made attempts to pull ahead, but UVI's sophomore guard Shemah Yisrael responded with five consecutive points to keep the home team within reach. At the end of the first period, the Lady Buccaneers trailed 15-14.
However, in the second quarter, the game began to slip away from UVI as the visitors went on a 16-0 run. Shooting struggles and turnovers plagued the Lady Buccaneers, ultimately leading to their defeat as their opponents-maintained control for the remainder of the game.
Preseason All-HBCUAC selection Ashukamay'ah Phillips led the Lady Buccaneers offensively with 10 points.
Junior Forward Lameez Khan added nine points and five rebounds for the Lady Buccaneers.
For the VI Women's National Team, J-Naya Ephraim scored 19 points.
First-year head coach Stephanie Cooper commented on the game, acknowledging the challenge of facing a seasoned national team but praising her team's effort and resilience. "We faced a seasoned national team, which is a tough draw, but it was a great experience, and our women battled regardless. We had some bright spots in the matchup; we played strong and physically in the painted area, and we continued to hustle in the second half despite being behind on the scoreboard. We also got great energy from our bench and rebounded well on the defensive end of the floor. We know where we need to grow and get better, but I think are off to a good start."
The Lady Buccaneers return to action on November 29th and 30th as they head on a two-game road trip to take on St. Thomas University at the Fernandez Family Center in Miami Gardens.
