Spiders’ dance halts in Round of 64

It was inevitable that the University of Richmond women’s basketball team’s season would eventually come to an end, however difficult it would be to put a cap on such a monumental run. 

After finishing the regular season as champions of the Atlantic 10 conference and winning three games in three days to secure an A-10 Championship, UR received an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament – the program’s first since 2005. 

The Spiders then traveled to Columbus, Ohio, where they faced Duke University in the Round of 64. UR had played Duke in the first game of the season back in November, so this first-round March Madness matchup was slated to be a hotly contested rematch from the outset. 

And, while this time around, the Spiders did not lose by 30 points like they did in the season opener, or by 51 like they did last season, Duke ultimately stopped UR’s postseason run in its tracks, defeating the Spiders 72-61 on March 22. 

“I could not have been prouder,” UR Head Coach Aaron Roussell said in a postgame press conference. “Everything you ask your players to do at the end of a season of playing their best basketball, playing their hardest, playing together– they were just so fun to coach here for these last few weeks. And I don’t want that final score to indicate or let these guys think that it was anything other than a Herculean effort today.”

The Spiders started the game on their heels, as the Blue Devils got out to a quick surge on the offensive end. Two minutes into play, Duke led 8-3, but the Spiders kept up with the pace and retook the lead by the end of the first quarter. Through the first 10 minutes, UR was ahead 26-23 in a high-scoring effort early by both squads. 

In the second quarter, that control on the offensive end stayed with the Spiders. Slowly but surely, they began to pull away, and by halftime, the Spiders led the Blue Devils 37-28. 

Much different from the offensive burst in the first quarter, Duke scored just 5 points in the second quarter, while the Spiders scored 11. 

“We’ve come a long way, and as much as we’ve forgotten about those first two games, let’s not forget, [Duke] outscored us by 81 points combined in the two games that we played them before, and we were up 9 at the half,” Roussell said. “And you don’t get trophies for that, but I think that shows a lot about the heart of this team.” 

It was in the third quarter when the Blue Devils eventually took over the game. Not even three minutes into the second half, Duke had tied things up after going on a 9-0 run to open the quarter.

And while the Spiders only trailed by four points, 51-47, heading into the final 10 minutes of regulation, UR never gained back control of the game. The Blue Devils outscored the Spiders 21-14 in the fourth quarter and 44-24 in the second half, en route to their victory and UR’s defeat. 

Despite the defeat, UR had strong offensive production from its usual standouts, senior guard Grace Townsend, senior forward Addie Budnik and sophomore forward Maggie Doogan. The trio scored 18, 17 and 15 points apiece. Townsend also had 8 assists, Budnik hit 5 3-pointers and Doogan had 8 rebounds to add to their strong efforts.

The Spiders shot 48% from the field and 55.6% from 3-point range throughout the game. Duke, on the other hand, shot worse percentages from the field, but did outdo the Spiders in second chance points as well as bench points. UR contributed 0 bench points, while the Blue Devils contributed 15. 

“There were a lot of ups and downs in that game, but overall, I’m super proud of us,” Budnik said in a postgame press conference. “We had an incredible year and we can’t let this game define the historical year that we had.”

UR finished the year 29-6 and 16-2 in conference play compared to a 21-11 record and 8-6 conference mark last year. From the WNIT last season to the NCAA Tournament this season, the Spiders had few bumps in the road in an otherwise remarkable season. 

“To be here, to have the opportunity to do this, is something that we wouldn’t trade for the world, and it’s a once-in-a-lifetime memory and experience with a group of best friends that we’re never gonna forget,” Budnik said. 

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