The Spiders breeze through Mount Saint Mary’s with a 87-44 win

The University of Richmond’s women's basketball team defeated Mount Saint Mary’s University 87-44 at home on Nov.10 to start the season off 2-0. 

The Spiders had a rough start early in the first quarter, giving up a couple of offensive rebounds and three pointers. A foul given by the opposing team a little over two minutes into the game gave the Spiders time to make a change.

After junior forward Addie Budnik made her free throws to make it 8-5, she got a steal on the next possession. This led to junior guard Siobhan Ryan making a three pointer to tie the game up at eight a piece.

Both teams went back and forth until the Spiders eventually gained the upper hand. The Spiders ended the first quarter with a 13-0 run, making the score 25-11.

The Spiders started the second quarter hot with a 8-2 run bringing the score to 33-13. From there, it was all Richmond ending the quarter with a 46-23 lead. At one point in the second quarter, the Spiders led by 25.

The Spiders continued their momentum into the start of the second half. Overall, the third quarter was dominated by the Spiders. By the end of the quarter, the Spiders had a comfortable 36-point lead with the score at 70-34 entering the fourth quarter. 

The final quarter began, and from start to finish, the Spiders looked great. The game ended with the Spiders on top 87-44, ending with a 43-point lead and making them 2-0 on the season. 

The Spiders were led by Budnik in points with 16 on shooting 6-8 from the field. She also tallied six rebounds, five assists and four steals. She was not alone in double figures in points. Sophomore guard Katie Hill had 12 points, Ryan had 11 points and off the bench, first-year guard Rachel Ullstrom had 13 points.

As a team, the Spiders dominated the paint with a staggering 45 to 20 rebound advantage and a 40 to eight points in the paint advantage. The Spiders also had advantages in bench points, 34 to five, and points off turnovers, 32 to 11. As a team, the Spiders shot 56.7% on the field and 47.1% from three. 

The next game for the Spiders is against the Clemson University Tigers.

“Really looking forward to that test on Clemson on Sunday,” head coach Aaron Roussell said after the game. “They’re really athletic you know, she’s got a good thing going down there right now with some good young players, so we’re going to be tested and I like where our kids are at right now.”

The game will take place at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, South Carolina, at 2 p.m. on Nov. 13.

Contact sports writer Sergio Amaya-Pacheco at sergio.amayapacheco@richmond.edu.