University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
St Josephs Pa
Hawks Fly Past Spiders, 87-66
01/05/2002 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 5, 2002
PHILADELPHIA - The University of Richmond women's basketball team was defeated Saturday afternoon by the Saint Joseph's Hawks, 87-66, in Philadelphia. The loss was Richmond's third in a row and second straight in Atlantic 10 action. Senior point guard Michele Koclanes (Pelham, N.Y./Pelham Memorial) led the Spiders with 15 points.
The Hawks used a 16-0 run midway through the first half to build a commanding 27-8 lead. The largest deficit the Spiders faced in the first half was the 24 points they trailed by at the half, 46-22. The 22 points was the lowest total the Spiders scored in a half this season as they shot 37.5% from the field, compared to the Hawks' 52.9%. Richmond had 15 turnovers and only four assists in the first stanza.
The hole Richmond dug itself was too large as the closest it narrowed the gap to was 17 points at the 6:58 mark, 70-53, and the most it trailed by was 28 points. Junior guard Elise Ryder (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade Julienne) was a bright spot for the Spiders in the second half as she scored 11 points, including three three-pointers, on her way to finishing with 14 points and a team-high five assists. Sophomore guard Amber Goppert (Malone, N.Y./Franklin Academy) also finished in double-digits with 13 points while junior center Ebony Tanner (Garner, N.C./Ravenscroft) had a game-high 10 rebounds, her sixth double-digit rebounding performance of the season. The Hawks' Susan Moran, the Atlantic 10's leading scorer, posted game-highs of 25 points and 10 rebounds.
The loss drops Richmond to 6-9, 0-2 in the Atlantic 10 while Saint Joseph's improves to 10-2, 1-0 in league play. The game ends Richmond's four-game, eight-night road trip as the Spiders return home for four consecutive games, starting with Rhode Island on Friday, January 11 at 7:00 p.m.
