Come postseason play, there’s another level of intensity on the floor.
All previous matchups are thrown out the window, as each team is fighting for their season to continue.
This certainly proved to be the case in the University of Richmond women’s basketball team’s 63-58 Atlantic 10 tournament quarterfinal win over Duquesne University at the Henrico Sports and Events Center on March 7.
In this matchup, it was back-and-forth for the majority of play, with lead changes occurring as late in regulation as the final minutes – a different story compared to the Spiders’ 82-58 rout of the Dukes back on Feb. 9.
“We had to make some adjustments,” graduate forward Addie Budnik said during the postgame press conference. “We knew that [the Dukes] were gonna come out, watching them yesterday, with a ton of energy, and we just knew that we had to match that and be physical as well, and I think that we did that towards the end.”
Even with Duquesne’s increased efforts on the scoreboard in the quarterfinals, the Spiders were able to secure their 17th-straight victory, paving the way to a semifinal game now on the horizon at the A-10 Tournament.
“That was a grinded out, toughness win,” UR Head Coach Aaron Roussell said in the press conference. “You look at the path last year, I think all of our three wins over here were by double digits. None of them felt comfortable, but they were all double-digit wins. And we’ve had some of those here in the last few weeks of being tested and having deficits in the fourth quarter, and I think that helped us today.”
The Spiders and Dukes traded baskets in the early going, which was a harbinger of things to come with the score being so close down the stretch. Slowly but surely, UR got into its groove offensively and thanks to an 11-0 run, went ahead of Duquesne 16-8 with just over three and a half minutes to play in the first quarter.
The Dukes continued to stick around, however, and kept things within striking distance throughout the first half. After the first quarter, the Spiders led 18-14, and after the second, it remained a four-point game with UR still on top, 31-27.
UR sustained a 7-2 run coming out of the halftime break, starting the third period with scores from senior guard Katie Hill on back-to-back offensive possessions. The Spiders also came into the second half with a surge of energy on defense, forcing a shot clock violation on the Dukes’ first offensive possession.
That defensive effort, coupled with 53.8% shooting in the quarter aided the Spiders in creating some separation on the scoreboard. UR ended the third quarter ahead by eight points.
With under four minutes to play in the fourth quarter, a 9-0 Duquesne run gave the Dukes a 56-54 lead. Eventually, though, a 9-2 run of its own would give UR the victory, but not without some pressure-filled final moments in regulation trying to avoid Duquesne clawing back on the scoreboard again.
Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter
Budnik and recent A-10 Player of the Year award recipient, junior forward Maggie Doogan, paced the Spiders with 15 and 11 points, respectively.
Other important contributions came from graduate guard Alyssa Jimenez, who hit three 3-pointers off the bench – one of which was especially timely as it gave UR back the lead following Duquesne’s late-game run – and sophomore guard Ally Sweeney, who also had a strong outing, contributing 10 points, six rebounds and six assists.
“[Sweeney’s] been locked in all year, man,” Roussell said. “And I didn’t say anything to her before the game. I wanted to kind of see how she came out. Thought maybe there’d be a little bit of pep talk ‘cause she’s really the one that hadn’t been in this situation, and I saw that kid on the bench and, ‘oh she’s locked in. She’s locked in and ready to go.’”
The Spiders, who garnered the first seed in the A-10 Tournament thanks to a second-straight regular season championship, will play No. 4 Saint Joseph’s University at 11 a.m. on March 8 with a trip to the championship on the line.
Contact contributor Jimmy James at jimmy.james@richmond.edu
Support independent student media
You can make a tax-deductible donation by clicking the button below, which takes you to our secure PayPal account. The page is set up to receive contributions in whatever amount you designate. We look forward to using the money we raise to further our mission of providing honest and accurate information to students, faculty, staff, alumni and others in the general public.
Donate Now
