University of Richmond Athletics
Richmond Defeats VCU, 93-89
02/22/2001 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 22, 2001
RICHMOND, Va. - Senior forward Candice Edwards (Newport News, Va./Menchville) delivered a team-high 22 points, including key free throws down the stretch to pace the University of Richmond women's basketball team to a 93-89 victory over cross-town rival in Colonial Athletic Association action tonight at the ALLTEL Pavilion at the Stuart C. Siegel Center.
Joining Edwards in double figures for the Spiders (15-11, 9-5 CAA) were freshman guard Amber Goppert (Constable, N.Y./Franklin Academy) and sophomore center Krystn Gull (Asheville, N.C./Erwin) with 14 points each. Sophomore center Ebony Tanner (Garner, N.C./Ravenscroft) produced a 12-point, 14-rebound double-double, while junior point guard Michele Koclanes (Pelham, N.Y./Pelham Memorial) had 11 points and 10 assists. Goppert and Koclanes each contributed four steals in the win.
VCU (14-10, 5-8 CAA) was paced by junior guard Rochelle Luckett's game and career-high 29 points. Freshman guard Meagan Evans scored 15 points, while senior forward Tawanda Washington registered 13 points and 13 rebounds. Freshman guard Cynthia Wilks added 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Spiders jumped out to a 9-3 lead, behind a trio of three's by sophomore guard Elise Ryder (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade Julienne). However, the Rams answered with a 17-7 run and held a 20-10 advantage with 13:18 remaining in the opening half. Richmond trimmed the lead to five points (33-28), before VCU answered, ballooning their advantage to 39-28 with 3:55 remaining in the opening half. The Spiders refused to go away, responding with a 12-4 spurt of its own, paring the margin to three points at 43-40 with less than one minute remaining in the half. Both teams traded baskets in the final minute and the Rams were up 47-42 at intermission. Luckett sparked VCU with 12 points, while Edwards and Tanner had 10 points each for Richmond.
Richmond opened the second half with an 8-3 spurt and knotted the contest at 50-all with 17:11 remaining in the game. VCU opened its lead back up to 61-54 with 14:44 on the clock, but the Spiders responded with a 17-7 run and led 71-68 with 9:01 to go. Gull was instrumental in the comeback, accounting for all of her 14 points in the stretch of 5:43. Trailing 74-73, Richmond went on a 10-2 run and were up 83-76 with 4:02 remaining. Five different Spiders dented the scoring column in that span. VCU scored the contest's next seven points to tie the game at 83-all with 2:49 to go. Koclanes provided the difference from there for the Spiders, making two free throws and connecting on a mid-range jumper to put Richmond ahead 87-83 with 2:15 remaining.
VCU closed the margin to 89-87 following a Luckett layup with 51 seconds remaining, but Edwards connected on four straight free throws in the final 32 seconds to close the game and complete the rally. The Spiders continue to play well offensively as the team is averaging 96 points per game in their last two victories.
"Candice just made big play after big play for us down the stretch," said Richmond head coach Bob Foley. "I think our depth was also key for us tonight. We were able to keep players from fatiguing and in a close game, that is important. Even when we trailed, we were able to stay close by keeping a rested combination on the floor."
With the victory, the Spiders capped its first season sweep of the Rams since the 1996-97 campaign. That same year, the Spiders finished the season with 16-11 overall record, including a 10-6 conference mark. Winners of four of its past five contests, Richmond will try to match those win plateaus when they resume conference action on Sunday, February 25, hosting American at 2 p.m. at the Robins Center.
