University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
VCU
Women's Basketball Downs City-Rival VCU, 60-56
12/06/2006 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 6, 2006
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - The Richmond women's basketball team defeated cross-town rival VCU (6-2) on Wed. night at the Robins Center in dramatic fashion, 60-56, off a three-pointer from sophomore guard Sarah Williams with 23 seconds left in the game.
Williams racked up a career-high 21 points and recorded her sixth double-digit performance of the season after shooting 9-for-17 from the field, including three treys, to go along with five rebounds and three steals.
The Spiders (4-7) avenged last season's two-point double-overtime loss to the Rams and have now won seven of the last eight contests between the teams.
In last year's loss, Williams had hit a three-pointer to send the game into double-overtime. In this year's win, Williams knocked down the game-winning shot from beyond the arc.
Freshman forward Nikita Thomas also came up big for the Spiders, finishing with a career-high 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds to record her second double-double of the season. Freshmen guards Erin Hawkins and Kara Powell added eight and seven points on the night, respectively.
"I'm extremely pleased with the team's ability to overcome adversity, on and off the court," state Richmond head coach Michael Shafer. "It's really easy when things go wrong to try and find another path, the easy route, but our kids didn't do that. I keep learning more about them. They have a sense of pride in them; they have fight in them. They don't always show it, but they have it in them. I'm proud of them."
The lead changed hands 10 times between VCU and Richmond, playing in its fourth game in six days. The Spiders challenged the Rams with tremendous defensive intensity as Richmond collected six steals and held VCU scoreless for the game's final three minutes and 10 seconds.
The Spiders took their largest lead of the game, seven points, off another Williams three-pointer at the 10:14 mark in the first half. Both teams battled back and forth during the remainder of the half, with Richmond redshirt sophomore Johanna McKnight hitting two free throws with 1:13 left to enter halftime tied, 28-28.
The Spiders jumped out on an 8-2 run to start the second half, a stretch that included three layups from Thomas. After VCU pulled ahead by six points with 5:46 remaining in regulation, Richmond rolled out a 7-1 run to tie the game at 53. Following a successful free throw from Richmond's Hawkins at the 2:04, both teams locked down defensively to keep the score knotted, 56-56.
With 23 seconds remaining, Richmond redshirt junior Christina Campion passed off to Williams open in front of the right arc and the sophomore from Wilmington, Del., then found the bottom of the net for the winning three-pointer.
La'Tavia Rorie led the Rams' efforts with 16 points, while teammate LaKea Jones contributed 10 points as VCU dropped its second-straight contest.
The Spiders will now enjoy two weeks off before a challenge with No. 8 Georgia at the Robins Center on Dec. 21. The Lady Bulldogs are off to a 7-0 start this season. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. Live coverage of the game will be available at RichmondSpiders.com.
