Spiders fall to Saint Louis on senior night

The University of Richmond women’s basketball team came up short against the Saint Louis Billikens at home on Wednesday night. The Spiders lost 60-57, as the Billikens were able to seal the game with clutch free throws from senior forward Kendra Wilken with 7 seconds remaining.

Senior Jaide Hinds-Clarke led the way for the Spiders, tallying a team-high 20 points and five rebounds in 23 minutes of action. Hinds-Clarke was the only Richmond player to reach double figures in points, as the team shot 46% from the field and 41.2% from long range. The Spiders were able to outscore Saint Louis in the paint (30-22) and in bench points (24-14), as 11 players saw the court for Richmond.

The Billikens won the game at the foul line, shooting 21-for-24 from the charity stripe, while the Spiders shot just 4-for-11. Richmond also struggled on the defensive glass, allowing 17 offensive rebounds that turned into 15 second-chance points for the Billikens.

With the loss, Richmond fell to 14-15 in the season and 7-8 in Atlantic-10 conference play.

Following the loss, head coach Aaron Roussell praised his team for the strong effort that they showed throughout the game. 

“I thought our kids battled today and I am really proud of them," Roussell said. "This shows a lot about what this team is and how far this team has come these last couple of months."

Spiders seniors Hinds-Clarke, Amy Duggan, Ragan Wiseman and Jayana Ervin were honored before the game during a senior night ceremony at the Robins Center. Roussell emphasized the important role his seniors have played over the course of the year.

“I thought they really gelled together during those first few minutes of the game,” Roussell said. “All four of those guys, they have been a huge part of this program.”

Richmond’s leading scorer Hinds-Clarke reflected on her time at UR prior to Wednesday’s game. 

“The advice I have for younger players is to make the most of your experience,” she said. “I think getting involved in the community is really important, finding out while you’re here what really matters to you.”

Roussell congratulated Saint Louis for its come-from-behind win on Wednesday night. 

“Credit to their players, credit to their coaches. This was not a loss for us,” Roussell said. “I thought Saint Louis really came out and won the game at the end.”

The Spiders have one regular season game remaining, as Richmond will head to the nation’s capital on Saturday afternoon to face the George Washington Colonials for a 2 p.m. tipoff.

Depending on the outcome of Saturday’s game, Richmond still welcomes the opportunity to host its first round match-up of the 2020 A-10 tournament next week.

Contact contributor Ryan Harford at ryan.harford@richmond.edu.