Richmond picked up its first postseason victory in two years with a 76-54 win over Miami (OH) University Thursday night at the Robins Center.
Facing a team that averaged just under 70 points per game in its 21-win season, Richmond coach Michael Shafer added some wrinkles to his defense by pressing the Red Hawks all game and switching on defense. Outside of a 20-point performance by Maggie Boyer, no other Miami player scored in double figures.
"My biggest concern was, they can score, they can absolutely score," Shafer said. "I thought we did a really good job defending them and understanding when we were switching, who we were switching on and contesting those kids."
That constant pressure forced 25 turnovers, with Richmond scoring 31 points off those turnovers. The game was played at a faster tempo than a normal Richmond game, with the Spiders looking to score in transition.
Transition play can lead to sloppy play at times, and Richmond did turn the ball over 24 times, but it also allowed for a free-flowing style of play, and Richmond assisted on 22 of its 28 baskets.
"We weren't having to grind," Shafer said. "As you get towards the end of the season, that's what happens. Defenses start to key in on kids."
Miami blanketed second-leading scorer Rachael Bilney on defense, limiting her to six shots. She averages about 12 points per game but scored just eight Thursday. A balanced offense did the job for Richmond though, and four Spiders did score in double figures, led by sophomore Genevieve Okoro's 19.
A 12-day layoff between games for Richmond was not enough to slow the Spiders down. Even on the rare occasion when Richmond was not able to drive for a layup -- it scored 42 points in the paint -- the long-range shooting came through, with the Spiders making three of their seven three-point attempts.
The win was Richmond's first postseason win since a first-round win over the University of Delaware in 2010. The Spiders have been a participant in the WNIT the past four years, but have yet to move past the second round. Thursday's win also snapped a two-game losing streak for Richmond, its longest of the year. Those two factors made the win more exciting, Okoro said.
"To get a win after we've had some losses, it's great," she said. "I mean, another game in posteason, what more could we ask for?"
Richmond will play University of Virginia in the second round of the tournament after the Cavaliers picked up a three-point overtime win over Howard University. A time has not yet been set for the game that will be played in Charlottesville. The two teams met in December, with the Cavaliers leaving the Robins Center with a 69-56 victory.
That game will not provide much benefit for Richmond though, Shafer said. He described Virginia as a different team than in December because of more experience under first-year head coach Joanne Boyle and going through Atlantic Coast Conference competition.
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"I think we can look at the game tape to get some hints and some tips, but I think watching some more recent games will help us a lot because we are two different basketball teams now," Shafer said.
Contact reporter Andrew Prezioso at andrew.prezioso@richmond.edu
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