University of Richmond
Stetson
Spiders Win At Stetson, 67-66, In WNIT First Round
03/21/2015 | Women's Basketball
DeLAND, Fla. – Three Spiders scored in double figures as the University of Richmond won at Stetson, 67-66, in the first round of the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) on Friday night.
With the victory, Richmond improves to 19-13 on the season and will now travel to Pittsburgh, Pa. to face Atlantic 10 rival Duquesne in the second round of the WNIT on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Senior Genevieve Okoro recorded her 29th career double-double and the seventh of the season, scoring a team-high 19 points to go with 13 rebounds. Lauren Tolson scored 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting, while Janelle Hubbard added 17 points and three assists.
In the first half, the Spiders got off to a red-hot start, taking a quick 10-2 lead. Midway through the first 20 minutes, Richmond took a 16-11 lead over the Hatters on a Hubbard layup with 10:35 left.
The Hatters answered in a big way over the next 7:33, going on a 20-6 run to take a 31-22 lead over the Spiders with just under two minutes to play. Richmond ended the first half well, however, as UR out-scored Stetson 7-2 over the final minute to cut the Hatters' lead to 33-29 at halftime.
The Richmond win snapped a 21-game win streak over non-conference opponents for Stetson and also marked the first WNIT road win for the Spiders since defeating Delaware in Newark in 2010.
In the first half, Tolson led the Spiders with 11 points, while Hubbard added 10. Richmond's defense was terrific in the opening stanza, holding Stetson to just 27 percent shooting, while forcing 10 turnovers.
The second half was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams going on extended runs. In the final 20 minutes, the teams exchanged the lead seven times and had three ties.
Trailing 48-42 with 12:02 left in the game, the Spiders went on a 10-0 run to take a 42-48 lead on a Tolson three-pointer with 9:42 left in the contest. But Stetson would respond like they had all game, reeling off a 19-8 run to take a 61-56 lead over the Spiders with just over four minutes left in regulation.
Richmond showed great character, however, ending the game on an 11-5 run. Trailing by just one, 62-61, Tolson gave the Spiders the lead for good with a jumper with 1:33 left.
Senior Liz Brown was clutch down the stretch for UR, hitting 3-of-4 free throws to help secure the come-from-behind road win for the Spiders, 67-66.
Richmond's defense was terrific again on Friday night, forcing 17 Stetson turnovers. On the other end, the offense took advantage of the Hatters' miscues, scoring 24 points off turnovers. The Spiders also out-rebounded Stetson, 41-36, and had 21 second chance points off 18 offensive rebounds.
The Richmond Spiders will now head to Pittsburgh, Pa. to face A-10 rival Duquesne on Tuesday night at 7p.m. in the second round of the WNIT.
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