University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
4-7
East Carolina
8-3
Spider Comeback Falls Short in Tough Test with ECU, 71-60
12/17/2016 | Women's Basketball
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. – In one of its toughest tests on the non-conference schedule, the University of Richmond women's basketball team (4-7) battled East Carolina (8-3) the entire way on Saturday afternoon but was ultimately unable complete a great comeback, as the visitors were able to hold on to a lead in the second half for a 71-60 victory.
Lauren Tolson scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds in her return to the starting lineup, replacing Janelle Hubbard who scored nine off the bench. Micaela Parson (15 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists) and Ragan Wiseman (10 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists) joined Tolson in double figures. The next leading scorer was Amy Duggan who scored the first four points of her collegiate career.
It was a track meet in the early going inside the Robins Center. Wiseman started the scoring with a deep three ball followed by four-straight points from Tolson to push the Spiders ahead 7-0 in less than two minutes. ECU chipped away at the deficit and eventually tied the score, 11-11, with 4:23 left in the quarter.
With the Spiders trailing by three, Hubbard came off the bench and scored her first points of the game, a pair of free throws to cut the lead to one. The two sides then traded baskets and the first quarter came to a close with Richmond trailing by one, 16-15.
The ECU lead was three when Wiseman hit a short jumper followed by a steal and score from Parson on the subsequent inbounds pass. She drew a foul on the play and just like that the Spiders had the lead back, 20-18.
Neither side held a lead larger than three until the 4:53 mark of the second quarter when ECU pushed ahead by five. The Pirates built a 10-point lead by the 2:06 mark but a quick 4-0 Richmond run made it a six-point game entering the final possession. Parson picked up a steal as the clocked wound under five seconds to play but ECU stole it back immediately and managed to flip in a layup as the buzzer sounded to take an eight-point lead into the locker room.
The Pirates continued their surge into the third quarter and by the media timeout with 4:52 left had built a 16-point advantage. Richmond was able to generate offense but the shots just weren't falling and ECU was able to build a 60-38 lead by the end of the quarter.
The offense began to find its rhythm again in the fourth quarter. Freshman Dee Hatcher canned the first triple of her career and fellow freshman Amy Duggan netted the first field goal of her young career to keep the Spiders alive. Wiseman later cashed her second triple of the game to cut the deficit to 16 with 6:24 to go.
Tolson kept the run alive with a triple and Parson added a layup to make it an 11-point game with four minutes left until ECU ended its scoreless drought of over four minutes to an end with a bucket plus a foul. Richmond continued to press the issue but was only able to trade baskets with ECU the rest of the way, allowing the Pirates to come away with the win.
