SOUTH ORANGE, N.J.—D’Andra Moss scored 33 points and brought down 10 rebounds as VCU defeated Morgan State 75-68 in double overtime. Knotted up at 56 apiece, the game went into overtime. Still tied at 63 after the first overtime, it wasn’t until the second overtime that VCU outscored Morgan State 12-5 to claim the victory. La’Tavia Rorie added 11 points for the undefeated Rams. Corin Adams scored 22 points for Morgan State.

In five seasons at Virginia Commonwealth University, T.J. Gwynn has played under three head basketball coaches. The redshirt senior will have a reunion tonight with his first coach when Jeff Capel brings 17th-ranked Oklahoma to tangle with the Rams at the Siegel Center. “It’s really going to be weird seeing him at the Siegel Center not on the sideline he used to be on,“ Gwynn said.

Jeff Capel and Oklahoma make a much-anticipated visit to the sold-out Siegel Center tonight. While much of the focus has been on the return of Virginia Commonwealth’s former coach and the opportunity to get a signature win over the 17th-ranked team in the country, the Rams (1-1) may be better served by focusing upon themselves. Some problems emerged in an eyebrow-raising 83-67 loss at Western Michigan Wednesday, a loss that was almost as disturbing for ‘how much’ as for ‘how’. This was a team the Rams whipped by 17 points last year.

Martelle McLemore had a game-high 22 points, and David Kool had 17 as Western Michigan rallied from a 17-point first-half deficit to beat Virginia Commonwealth 83-67 last night. McLemore and Kool each added nine rebounds to contribute to the Broncos’ 52-37 rebound advantage. Donald Lawson had 13 points and 11 rebounds for Western Michigan (1-1).

Martelle McLemore had a game-high 22 points and David Kool had 17 as Western Michigan rallied from a 17-point first-half deficit to beat Virginia Commonwealth 83-67 last night. McLemore and Kool each added nine rebounds to contribute to the Broncos’ 52-37 rebound advantage. Donald Lawson had 13 points and 11 rebounds for Western Michigan (1-1).

Virginia Commonwealth University men’s soccer coach Tim O’Sullivan was fired yesterday. The school said O’Sullivan’s contract was not renewed after 15 years on the job. A search for a new coach will begin immediately. O’Sullivan compiled a 148-118-35 record at VCU, but the program has declined since winning three consecutive Colonial Athletic Association titles (2002-2004). The 2004 team advanced to the final eight of the NCAA tournament. Last season’s team was 5-10-2 overall, 2-8-1 in the CAA.

Apparently there will be life after Quanitra Hollingsworth for the VCU women’s basketball program. The Rams, relying on balance rather than a skyscraper beneath the basket, received double-digit contributions from five players while thumping Virginia Tech, a visitor from the ACC, 72-58 in last night’s season opener at the Siegel Center.

Hope springs eternal at the start of the college basketball season, and nowhere is hope springing more eternal or with greater expectations than the Colonial Athletic Association. The CAA is loaded. Old Dominion returns all its starters, led by potential player of the year Gerald Lee. Northeastern, VCU and James Madison each return four starters.

The suggestion box for Shaka Smart contains similar, short submissions from his mentors. “The biggest advice they’ve given me by far is just to be yourself and not try to be someone else, not try to be them,“ Smart said.

THE BASICS: 5-11 senior guard
Wright, an elegant scorer who is particularly effective in transition, led the ACC with a 20.5-point scoring average in 2009. She piled up 696 points, a U.Va. single-season record. The ACC’s preseason player of the year will flourish if the Cavaliers can create and sustain a fast-flowing tempo.
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VIRGINIA   Key players: G Monica Wright, Sr., 20.5 ppg, 3.1 apg; F Chelsea Shine, So., 5.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg
  Notable: Optimism is running high in Charlottesville. But is it justified? The Cavaliers must replace Lyndra Littles and Aisha Mohammed, who combined for 32 points and 17 rebounds. Opposing defenses will gang up on Wright unless someone—Shine? Paulisha Kellum? China Crosby?—emerges quickly as a consistent source of double-dight offense.

DETROIT (AP)—Detroit Tigers All-Star third baseman Brandon Inge will undergo surgery on both knees next month. The team said Thursday that the Nov. 3 procedure at the Detroit Medical Center will address patella tendinitis that plagued Inge throughout this past season. Inge is expected to be ready for the start of spring training in February.

Forward Jamie Skeen’s first game with Virginia Commonwealth will be at Tulane on Dec. 19. Skeen, who transferred from Wake Forest, must sit out the first semester per NCAA transfer rules. He will miss the first eight games. The 6-9, 245-pound junior was a top 100 recruit out of high school. He played two seasons at Wake, averaging 6.6 points and 4.4 rebounds.

The 6½-month wait ends today for Shaka Smart. Virginia Commonwealth’s basketball coach, hired in April, will direct his first basketball practice as the Rams start preparations for their Nov. 13 opener against Bethune-Cookman. Smart, 32, takes over a team that will be expected to contend for a fourth consecutive Colonial Athletic Association regular-season title. VCU will be without one of the best players in the program’s history, first-round NBA draft pick Eric Maynor. But the Rams return four starters, including another potential first-round NBA pick in junior forward Larry Sanders, plus experience and talented transfers.

Virginia Commonwealth coach Shaka Smart picked up his first commitment for 2010, landing Rob Brandenberg, a 6-2 guard from Gahanna Lincoln High School outside Columbus, Ohio. Brandenberg, described as a “late-bloomer” by his coach, Tony Staib, averaged 17 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals last year in his first season on the varsity.