Spider Sports Recap | Week of Nov. 7

Women's Basketball 

Nov. 7: Win 69-48 against Liberty University

The University of Richmond women's basketball team opened up the season with a win against Liberty University. Junior forward Addie Budnik led the Spiders with 21 points, and junior guard Grace Townsend tallied 14 points. Liberty had 17 turnovers and the Spiders were able to collect 20 points. UR went on a run in the fourth quarter pushing their lead to 21 points. The Spiders ended the game with a final score of Liberty 69-48.

Nov. 10: Win 87-44 vs. Mount St. Mary’s University

UR took on Mount St. Mary’s University at Robins Center. The Spiders had a slow start in the beginning but went on a 22-3 run five minutes into the first quarter. Budnik was the top scorer of the game, tallying 16 points, and sophomore guard Katie Hill had 12 points. The Spiders shot 77.3% on Thursday night. The Spiders scored 34 points coming off the bench. UR dominated in rebounds (45-20), points from turnovers (32-10), points in the paint (40-8) and points from the bench (34-5).

Nov. 13: Lost 61-40 at Clemson University

The women's basketball team took its first loss of the season to Clemson University, giving the Spiders a 2-1 record. The Spiders held a 13-7 lead over the Tigers in the first quarter. The Tigers flipped the momentum in the second and third quarter, holding the Spiders to just 15 points while expanding their lead to 13, at 41-28. The Spiders were unlucky, shooting only 29%. Hill led the team with 13 points. 

The Spiders will head to Baltimore, Maryland to face the University of Maryland, Baltimore at 7 p.m. on Nov. 17. 

Men’s Basketball 

Nov. 7: Win 69-48 vs. Virginia Military Institute

UR’s men's basketball team opened up the 2022-23 season against Virginia Military Institution. The Spiders held the Keydets to 25% shooting from the field. Redshirt first-year guard Jason Nelson scored a team-high 13 points and added three assists while starting and playing 28 minutes without a turnover in his first career game. Senior forward Tyler Burton added 12 points and 11 rebounds, his 18th career double double. UR used a 13-0 run midway through the first half to take control of the game, as UR held VMI scoreless for more than eight minutes

Nov. 11: Win 68-55 vs. University of Northern Iowa

UR defeated UNI 68-55 with 6,814 attendees at the Robins Center. Members of the 2021-22 team were presented with their Atlantic 10 Championship rings in a pregame ceremony and banners recognizing the team's conference title and its appearance in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Nelson scored a game-high of 21 points. UR’s lead grew to 16 from a pair of free throws from Burton, putting UR ahead 53-37 with 11:30 to play. The Panthers never got within single digits and UR won its fourth straight game versus Northern Iowa. 

Cross Country

Nov. 11: Women finished 17th, men finished 22nd at NCAA Southeast Regional Championships

The University of Richmond cross country teams concluded their seasons at the NCAA Southeast Regionals hosted by the University of Louisville in Kentucky. The women finished 17th out of 32 teams in the 6K race while the men came in 22nd out of 32 teams in the 10K. Coming off strong performances in the Atlantic 10 Championships two weeks ago, junior Madison Trippett and sophomore Laurel Kurtz led the Spiders. Trippett finished 90th with a 22:06.6 and Kurtz crossed at 95th for a 22:12.9. For the men, redshirt senior Peter Borger finished with a time of 31:38.0, coming in 81st place to lead the Spiders. The Spiders will turn to indoor track and field season. 

Football

Nov. 14: Win 21-13 at the University of Delaware

The University of Richmond football team headed to Delaware to take on The University of Delaware Blue Hens. Redshirt sophomore kicker, Andrew Lopez put the first points on the board with a 33-yard field goal late in the first quarter. A 29-yard attempt from Lopez made the score 9-0 at the half. UR’s defense was strong all day, collecting 11 tackles for loss, two interceptions, three quarterback hurries, three sacks, a season-high three forced fumbles and four pass breakups. Quarterback Reece Udinski was 28-42 for 301 yards for his sixth 300+ yard game of the season. With playoffs around the corner, the Spiders return to the E. Claiborne Robins Stadium for one last regular-season game Saturday when it faces its rival: The College of William & Mary. 

Contact sports writer Lexie Moskovit at lexie.moskovit@richmond.edu.