Spiders snag hard-fought triumph over George Washington University

The University of Richmond women’s basketball team extended its 13-game win streak with a 67-57 victory over George Washington University on Feb. 19.

The Spiders have faced tough competition in the final stretch of the season. While Richmond has typically won by wide margins, it has recently struggled to start games strong. In its last three victories, the team relied on momentum in the second half to secure wins.

“A few weeks ago, all I heard was ‘you’re playing too many blowouts,’” Head Coach Aaron Roussell said. “Now, we know you’re going to have to win some tough games and be in some battles. I’d love to win every game by 30 — that’s still the goal.”

The contest remained close, with the lead changing 13 times and tying six times.

GW opened the game with back-to-back 3-pointers, but junior forward Maggie Doogan answered with a 3-pointer of her own to get the Spiders on the board. Richmond slowly gained the lead, but the Revolutionaries responded with a 6-0 run at the end of the period to tie the score at 14-14.

In the second period, a foul on senior guard Katie Hill led to a technical on Roussell after he disputed the call with a referee. GW was awarded two free throws, despite the rebuke from the Spiders.

The score remained tight as the teams traded points throughout the period. GW matched Richmond’s 3-pointers in the final minute, closing the half with a 35-24 lead. The Revolutionaries made 37% of their 3-point attempts in the game, only slightly behind UR’s 40.7%. 

This marks the second consecutive game the Spiders have gone into halftime trailing.

“I think offensively we just started off a little stagnant and it took us a bit to get into rhythm,” Doogan said postgame.

Richmond began to take control in the third period, widening the gap. The Spiders relied heavily on 3-pointers as GW pushed a tough defensive line. The Revolutionaries scored the final points of the period, leaving the score 55-48 in favor of Richmond.

GW closed the gap to 55-54 midway through the final period, but the Spiders pushed back. UR managed a 12-4 run in the final minutes of the game, in a major fourth period swing leaving the Spiders ahead 67-57 as the game ended. 

The win improves Richmond to 23-5 for the season, while George Washington falls to 11-15. The Revolutionaries proved to be a physical team, challenging the Spiders to get creative with their scoring. Doogan led the Spiders with 26 points, rebounding after her first single-digit performance of the season against Saint Louis University.

“I’m just glad we were able to pull off the team win,” Doogan said. “Last game was similar to this one. They were neck-and-neck with us.”

With just three regular-season games remaining, Richmond will next face Virginia Commonwealth University. The Rams suffered a 75-42 defeat to the Spiders on Jan. 19 but have since posted higher scores, including a 76-57 win over Fordham University, the only A-10 team to beat Richmond this season.

“We got the best of them last time, but you watch them play since, and they’re back to being really physical,” Roussell said. “They’re a very good defensive team and won’t give up many points.”

Richmond will face VCU in the Siegel Center on Feb. 23 at 1 p.m.

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