University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
Saint Joseph's
Women's Basketball Overcomes Saint Joseph's, 64-57, In Double-Overtime Thriller
01/14/2007 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 14, 2007
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Freshman Katie Holzer led Richmond with a career-high 18 points and 15 rebounds as the Spiders came back from a 15-point deficit to top Saint Joseph's, 64-57, in a double-overtime thriller on Sunday afternoon at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse in Philadelphia, Pa.
Richmond (8-10, 2-1 in A-10), earned its second-straight A-10 win and fourth win in the last five games, as well as its second-straight win over a 2006 postseason opponent as it handed Saint Joseph's (8-8, 1-2 in A-10) its second loss in conference play.
"We again played a hard-fought basketball game," stated Richmond head coach Michael Shafer. "We were down by 15, but our kids were unphased. We kept fighting throughout the second half and matched their aggressiveness and when we did that, we played much better. This is a very big win for a young basketball team."
Jenna Loschiavo led Saint Joseph's with two-straight treys in the opening six minutes of play, doubling the Spiders' score (8-4); however, Richmond sophomore Sarah Williams responded with a 3-pointer of her own and Holzer added a free throw to knot the score (8-8) for the second time of the contest.
Unable to take control of the game, the Spiders continued to battle and three minutes later, brought the score down to a one-point game just before letting the Hawks soar away on a 14-3 run over the next six minutes to take their largest lead of the half (12 points) with just over 2:30 remaining. Ayahna Cornish led Saint Joseph's run, chipping in eight of the 14 points and finishing the half as the only player in double-figures with 12 points.
Leading by 10 at halftime, the Hawks continued their momentum into the opening minutes of the second half, taking seven of the first nine points to enjoy a 15-point lead over the Spiders. Saint Joseph's kept its distance over the Spiders, keeping them within a 13-point reach, until Richmond fired into attack with a 24-9 run, limiting the Hawks to just three points in the final six minutes of play.
Freshman DeUnna Hendrix sunk a free throw to add to that lead (three): however, Loschiavo hit her fourth 3-pointer of the contest to send the game into overtime. Powell sunk three free throws, putting the only Spider points on the board in the first overtime, but it was enough to hold off the Hawks who were only able to respond with a mere three points as well.
In the second overtime, Saint Joseph's took four of the first six points to take a lead, however, the Spiders put in the next nine points, including six-straight free throws from Powell, to conclude the contest with a seven-point advantage over the Hawks, avenging last year's loss in the Robins Center and knotting the all-time series (4-4).
Holzer, recording the first double-double of her career and her sixth double-digit performance of the season, put in the first 15-rebound game any Richmond player has notched since the 2004-05 season. Powell finished the contest with 13 points off a 10-12 effort from the foul line, as well as a game-high four assists, and Johanna McKnight rounded out the Spiders in double-figures, chipping in 10 points and a team-high four steals.
"I'm proud of every kid on our team for fighting through the overwhelming odds," continued Shafer. "To hang in there on the road against a very good Saint Joseph's team. I thought Katie played tremendous; fighting and attacking with the basketball."
Cornish and Loschiavo led the Hawks with 12 points each and Jen Oyler followed with 10 points, while Erica Pollock led Saint Joseph's on the boards, pulling 13 rebounds.
The Spiders will now return home for a meeting with the Charlotte 49ers on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. Live coverage for Thursday's contest, including live stats, audio broadcast and video streaming will be available at RichmondSpiders.com.
