Spiders on seven game win streak after close victory over Dayton

The University of Richmond women’s basketball team continued to dominate the court with an 83-72 victory over the University of Dayton Flyers on Jan. 26, improving to an 8-1 record in Atlantic 10 Conference play.

The Spiders were looking to obtain their second win of the season over the Flyers after a 55-37 victory on Dec. 29. 

“The way that we ended the game last time, I think it gave [the players] confidence,” Head Coach Aaron Roussell said in a postgame press conference. “They’ve no doubt gotten better in the last month.”

The University of Dayton, coming off a win over Saint Louis University, entered the game with a 6-2 conference record.

The Flyers started the game with a layup in the first minute, but the Spiders quickly responded with a bucket of their own. The two teams continued to tie each other for most of the first period, with neither team able to dominate. 

UR finally managed to break away from the Flyers in the last two minutes of the period, quickly putting up points and taking a 19-14 lead at the buzzer. 

Junior forward Maggie Doogan had an impressive showing, putting up 9 of the 19 points UR had on the board.

The second quarter saw both teams struggle to score early on, but the dry spell ultimately ended when senior guard Katie Hill scored a layup, furthering UR’s lead.

UD, desperately looking for its first bucket of the period, finally put up a 3-pointer with just under five minutes on the clock. But UR was not discouraged, and sophomore guard Ally Sweeney knocked back her own 3-pointer seconds later, making the score 26-17. 

The Flyers fought to close the gap, but the period ultimately tipped in favor of the Spiders with the half ending at 34-28. 

The two teams battled out the third period, exchanging scores though never quite gaining a lead on each other. 

The Spiders found their momentum in the second half of the period when Doogan scored a layup followed by a free throw. The Flyers managed a 3-pointer, but their efforts were quickly crushed when Doogan scored yet again. 

UD and UR continued to match each other’s shots, leading to a close 60-52 score going into the final period with the Spiders still maintaining the lead. 

The fourth period opened with the Spiders finally managing the separation they had been seeking. UR put six points  on the scoreboard in the first minutes of the period, before UD found its foothold and scored a 3-pointer followed by a layup seconds later. 

UR continued to lose their advantage as UD shot two successful free throws. 

Junior guard Rachel Ullstrom brought the lead back to double digits with a 3-pointer. The game ended with the teams exchanging points, bringing the final score to 83-72, granting the Spiders their 17th win of the season. 

Doogan exhibited another strong performance, recording her seventh career double-double and scoring 26 points, her 20th consecutive game scoring in double digits. 

“Maggie was fantastic,” Roussell said. “I thought she was really good on the boards, her defense was really, really good, and she had some really great passes today.”

The Spiders will return to action on Feb. 2, hosting the University of Rhode Island Rams at the Robins Center. The Rhode Island Rams are on a three-game conference win streak, and will face Fordham University on Jan. 29 before their game with UR. 

Contact sports editor Abigail Finney at abigail.finney@richmond.edu.