Spider Sports Recap | Week of Nov. 27

Men’s Basketball 

Nov. 29: Loss 80-68 vs. Wichita State University

After two wins over the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the Queens College of Charlotte, the Spiders fell on the road to the Shockers in their third loss of the season. The game started out poorly for UR, as Wichita State opened the game on a 16-3 run. But, the Spiders showed they could stay in contention, cutting the deficit to two points by the time the first half came to a close. It was graduate guard Jordan King and graduate center Neal Quinn’s 12 and 8 points, respectively, in the first half that kept the Spiders within striking distance. The second half was another story, however, as the Spiders eventually let the game slip away. With just over five minutes to play in regulation, Wichita State’s lead had sweltered to 18 points. UR had cut it to 12 by the final buzzer, but the team’s efforts were not enough at Charles Koch Arena in Kansas. Quinn, King and graduate forward Zae Bigelow were the only Spiders who scored in double figures, chipping in 18, 17 and 11, respectively.  

Dec. 2: Win 88-69 vs. the College of William & Mary 

Trying to win their fourth-straight contest at the Robins Center, the Spiders outplayed W&M in a battle of Virginia schools. It was a Capital Cup matchup for the Spiders, but this time around, it was basketball instead of football. UR had a bit of a scoring drought to open play, not picking up its first basket until the 17:02 mark, however slowly but surely, the Spiders got things going offensively. W&M led by 6 with 14 minutes remaining in the first half, but UR turned it up a level scoring-wise and went on a 29-5 run to make things 34-16 with 5:10 to play. By the time halftime arrived, the Spiders led by 16 points. The second half proved not much different, as UR maintained its separation over the final 20 minutes of regulation. At times, the Spiders led by as many as 23 points, en route to a definitive 19-point victory over W&M. King led the way with 29 points, marking his fifth game with 21 or more points already this season. Junior guard Jason Roche also had things falling for the Spiders, as he made 4 3-pointers and finished with 14 points. Senior guard Dji Bailey and Quinn had 12 and 10 points, respectively. UR’s next game is against the University of Northern Iowa at 8 p.m. Dec. 6.

Women’s Basketball 

Nov. 30: Loss 67-57 vs. Villanova University 

Unfortunately for the Spiders, the team’s six-game win streak was slashed against Villanova, as the Wildcats came away with the 10-point victory. Things were even through one quarter with the Spiders and Wildcats each putting up 11 points, but Villanova was able to separate itself on the scoreboard by halftime, leading 30-21. This gave UR the tall task of evening things up with a power-five conference school come the second half. But, to the Spiders’ chagrin, the team’s efforts were not enough. At times, UR was able to cut the deficit to 6, but Wildcats kept their lead and bested the Spiders offensively, winning 67-57. Sophomore forward Maggie Doogan scored 18 points and had 7 rebounds. Senior center Addie Budnik scored 13 points and senior guard Grace Townsend had 11 points and 8 rebounds. 

Dec. 3: Win 69-40 vs. Le Moyne College

After a tough outing against Villanova, the Spiders bounced back on their home hardwood, beating the Dolphins by 29 points to bring the team’s record to 7-2 on the young season. The Spiders started things off well, leading Le Moyne 16-7 through one quarter. By the second quarter, that lead had increased to 19 in favor of the Spiders, showing the team’s dominance with a half still to be played. In the third quarter, UR continued with its strong offensive showing, shooting 54.55% from the field to put the Spiders ahead 54-32 with 10 minutes left in the game. In the fourth quarter, UR led by as many as 33 points and ultimately finished ahead 69-40 in convincing fashion. Doogan scored 18 for the second-straight game, and Budnik had 13 for the second-straight game. UR’s next game is at home against Appalachian State at 2 p.m. Dec. 10.

Track & Field 

Dec. 1: Liberty Kick Off

The women’s track & field team’s season got underway in Lynchburg, Virginia with the Liberty Kick Off. In the squad’s first meet of the season, there were some strong performances across the board. Junior Elke Van der Westhuizen and sophomore Nina Lavelle both finished in the top-10 in the women’s 200-meter dash event, as the duo placed ninth and tenth, respectively. In the women’s 400-meter dash, Lavelle came in fourth place with a 58.34, first-year Morgan Elliott came in fifth place with a 58.62, first-year Kamiah Wright came in ninth with a 59.47 and first-year Leyla Murati came in tenth place with a 59.64, giving the Spiders four top-10 finishers in the event. First-year Ashley Bolesh rounded out the top-15 with a 1:00.81 time. More top-10 finishes came in the women’s 800-meter run event, with junior Morgan Lyons coming in second place and junior Dylan Miller taking fourth place, with 2:13.58 and 2:17:71 times, respectively. UR also had success in the women’s 1000-meter run event, as graduate student Kyra Keurentjes finished in third place and sophomore Caroline Donohoe finished in fifth place. In the women’s 3000-meter run, UR put on quite the show, as the Spiders took five of the top-10 spots in the event. Senior Madison Trippett came in first place, senior Elizabeth Stockman finished in second place, sophomore Brooke Reif finished in fifth place, junior Laurel Kurtz finished in sixth place and sophomore Paige Joyce finished in seventh place. Another first place finish for the Spiders happened in the long jump, where sophomore Alicia Dawson took home the win, jumping 5.80 meters. After a successful first event, UR will participate in the Virginia Tech Invitational from Jan. 12 to Jan. 13. 

Football

Dec. 2: Loss 41-13 vs. the University at Albany 

The Spiders’ season came to an end in a tough 41-13 loss at Albany in the second round of the FCS playoffs. After starting the season 2-3, UR bounced back with six straight wins to finish 8-3 and with a Capital Cup trophy and a piece of the Colonial Athletic Association Championship. But, after a first round comeback victory over North Carolina Central University Nov. 25, the Spiders’ playoff run was cut short against the Great Danes. Albany had control seemingly the whole game. UR had a chance early to go up 3-0, but a missed field goal would prove to be a harbinger of things to come for the Spiders, as in the blink of an eye, the team found itself down 27-7 at halftime. The Great Danes’ outpouring of offense didn’t stop come the second half, as the team would go on to score two more touchdowns, compared to the Spiders’ one. Just like that, the Spiders’ seven-game win streak was snapped and the team was on its way back to UR, eliminated from the playoffs. Redshirt junior wide receiver Nick DeGennaro seemed to be the sole bright spot for UR offensively, as he had 13 catches for 120 yards and a touchdown. With the loss, UR finishes its season with a 9-4 record for the second-straight season. 

Contact sports editor Jimmy James at jimmy.james@richmond.edu.