University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
RADFORD
First-Half Flurry Surges Spiders Over Radford, 74-40
12/21/2009 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 21, 2009
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. -
Richmond (8-3) used a 24-4 first-half run to roll past Radford (1-8) 74-40 Monday night at the Robins Center. Crystal Goring recorded the fifth double-double of her career and first this season with 13 points and 11 boards.
The Spiders controlled the game from the first tip, taking a 14-8 lead with 15 minutes remaining in the first frame. Over the course of the next ten minutes, the Spiders scored 24 points to the Highlander's four and held Radford without a basket for seven minutes of that span.
"We did a good job defensively tonight," said head coach Michael Shafer. "Our rebounding advantage led us to easy transition baskets that let us put together a nice run in the first half. We've been practicing knocking down balls all week, and I thought we did a good job of that tonight. We didn't give Radford open looks, which was one of our goals."
Richmond held a commanding 29-18 edge on the glass and dished 11 assists to Radford's two after the first frame. Sophomore Rachael Bilney netted nine points off the bench.
"The practices we've been having this week paid off," said Goring. "We've been practicing playing hard and playing consistent. Coach [Shafer] has been pushing us to work harder and we used that same effort tonight. My team kept looking to me inside because of the [height] advantage which led to some easy baskets."
Goring is the second Spider to notch a double-double this season. (Brittani Shells, 18 pts, 11 rebs., VCU). Shells led three Spiders in double-figures with a game-high 15 points. Shells was limited to just four points in the first half after drawing two quick fouls, but made up for lost time with 5-for-9 shooting in the last frame.
The Spiders pulled down a season-best 57 boards in what was a commanding edge in rebounds. Richmond recorded 18 assists and notched another double-digit steal performance.
Richmond moved to a perfect 5-0 against Commonwealth opponents, with every win coming by at least 13 points. The Spiders' 34-point margin of victory was also a season-high.
The Spiders return to action Dec. 29th at the St. Peter's Classic in Jersey City, N.J. Richmond squares off against Chattanooga at 5 p.m. in the opening game Friday.
