Even with challenges at the arc, the Spiders dominated the court yet again.
The University of Richmond women’s basketball team secured a 72-53 victory over fellow Atlantic 10 La Salle University on Feb. 5.
This win marks the Spiders’ nine game win streak and the advancement of their 19-5 season record.
Despite the win, the Spiders struggled to make three pointers throughout the game, a skill they are typically known for.
“To coach a team that’s known for being able to shoot the basketball… to still win a game on the road by twenty points when you made one three, I think says a lot about our program,” Roussell said.
Junior forward Maggie Doogan managed the first points of the game, making a layup within the first minute of the first period. Doogan has consistently paced the Spiders and just surpassed 500 career rebounds, becoming the fourth player in women's basketball history to reach 1,000 career points and 500 rebounds in three seasons.
The Spiders made quick work in expanding their lead, taking the score to 9-2 with six minutes left in the period. However, the Explorers pushed back, managing to end the period 21-18. UR seemed to have trouble around the arc, missing seven of eight three-point attempts. This is an odd occurrence for the Spiders who are currently ranked first nationally in three point percentage.
“I thought they defended us well,” said Head Coach Aaron Roussell in a postgame press conference. “They did some things to take away the arc. We haven’t had one of those games where we really, really don’t shoot the ball well.”
UR was still struggling to find its rhythm in the beginning of the second period. The Spiders had two turnovers and several missed shots before Doogan managed a layup three minutes in. The Explorers were facing similar struggles on the other end of the court, neither team able to seperate from the other.
Doogan’s layup sent the Spiders into a scoring streak, quickly expanding their lead to 36-22 going into the half.
The Explorers and Spiders dueled throughout the third period, almost matching each other basket for basket minus a six-point streak by UR midway through the period. The score gap remained a healthy distance, with the Explorers trailing 52-37 when the buzzer sounded.
The Spiders maintained that distance through the fourth period as the two teams continued back-and-forth play. Graduate student forward Addie Budnik made the last bucket of the game, getting her into the double digits for the evening and ending the game 72-53.
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With this game, Budnik became the third leading scorer in Spider women's basketball history and succeeded in her 100th career game in double figures.
The Spiders’ next game will be at Duquesne University on Feb. 9. The Dukes will be a tough A 10 opponent for UR. They currently have a 15-7 record for the season. They’re coming off a heartbreaking 59-57 loss to Rhode Island University, a team they had previously beaten 77-64 just last month. That loss snapped their four game win streak. The Spiders will be seeking to take their win streak into the double digits.
Contact sports editor Abigail Finney at abigail.finney@richmond.edu
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