Women's Basketball To Open A-10 Tournament Friday Against UMass

Feb. 28, 2010

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - The No. 8 seed Spiders (18-11, 7-7) face ninth-seeded UMass (11-18, 5-9) in the opening game of the A-10 Tournament Friday at noon at The Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, Md.

Of Note:

• Brittani Shells was selected to the 2010 Atlantic 10 All-Conference first team and All-Conference Defensive team for the second straight year, while Abby Oliver was tabbed the Sixth Player of the Year.

• Shells leads the Spiders and the Atlantic 10 at 17.0 ppg and 2.7 spg. The Camden, Delaware native has notched nine 20-point or better games, 15 game-high performances and one 30 pointer. Shells notched a career-best 32 points against Morgan State and recently put up 25 points against Saint Louis--her second-highest point total of the season.

• Oliver received the Sixth Player of the Year Award after posting strong numbers off the bench this season. Although now in starting role, Oliver has led the Spiders in four of the past seven games and recorded eight double-figure performances in the past nine contests. In this span, Oliver is averaging 17.0 ppg.

• Richmond enters the tournament on a two-game win streak after having defeated GW Friday and Saint Louis Sunday. The Spiders made the program's first-ever appearance in the title game last year, eventually falling to Charlotte 59-54.

• Richmond defeated the Minutewomen 73-62 Jan. 16th in Amherst. The Spiders were practically flawless from the field in the first half, shooting a scorching 20-for-29 (69%) from the field, while connecting on 7-of-10 threes for a season-best 48 first-half points. Richmond also dished 16 assists on 20 baskets.

• For the first time in the 28-year history of the Championship, the tournament will be played at a neutral site. The Championship will feature 12 teams vying for the A-10 title and the automatic berth into the 2010 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship.

• First round and quarterfinal matchups can be viewed live on www.atlantic10.org. Fans can subscribe for the cost of $7.95 per game, while A-10 All-Access subscribers can view the contests for free. Sunday's semifinal contests will begin at Noon on Sunday, Mar. 7, and televised nationally on CBS College Sports, while the title game of the 2010 A-10 Championship on Monday, Mar. 8, will be shown live on ESPN2 at 5:00pm.

The Series:

• Richmond are winners of four in a row and seven of the last eight.

• The two teams have met only once in the A-10 Tournament with the Minutewomen taking a 85-73 victory Mar. 3, 2002.

• Richmond took this year's match-up 73-62 Jan. 16th at UMass.

Up Next:

• Should the Spiders advance, they will face top-seed and No. 5 ranked Xavier Saturday at noon.

2010 A-10 Women's Basketball Championship Seeds
1. Xavier (24-3, 14-0)
2. Dayton (23-6, 11-3)
3. Temple (22-7, 11-3)
4. Charlotte (16-12, 9-5)
5. Saint Joseph's (16-13, 9-5)
6. Duquesne (19-10, 9-5)
7. St. Bonaventure (21-8, 9-5)
8. Richmond (18-11, 7-7)
9. Massachusetts (11-18, 5-9)
10. Saint Louis (11-18, 5-9)
11. George Washington (6-21, 3-11)
12. Fordham (8-21, 2-12)

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