Spiders Put Three In Double Figures in Loss to Bethune-Cookman, 63-50

Thursday, December 21

DeLand, FL

3:00 PM

University of Richmond

5-8

Bethune-Cookman

8-3

Richmond

Bethune-Cookman

Spiders Put Three In Double Figures in Loss to Bethune-Cookman, 63-50

12/21/2017 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Matt Moretti III (@Moretts13)

DELAND, Fla. – The University of Richmond women's basketball team (5-8) closed out non-conference play on Thursday afternoon at the Stetson Hatter Classic by putting three players in double figures but ultimately came up just short against Bethune-Cookman (8-3), 63-50.

Micaela and Alex Parson both reached double figures once against, pitching in 11 points each. Micaela backed up her two double doubles by grabbing five rebounds on Thursday and extending her double digit-scoring streak to a career-best 15 games. Jaide Hinds-Clarke was the lone other Spider to reach double figures with 10 while also pulling down six boards.

The Spiders got off to a nice start in this one, quickly jumping out to a 5-0 lead with scores by three different players but Bethune-Cookman knocked in back-to-back triples on its next two possessions to take the lead. The hot-shooting Wildcats kept up that pace and wound up shooting 53 percent in that first quarter to build a 22-14 lead over the Spiders by the end of it.

The lead grew as large as nine, 27-18, by the 7:46 mark in the second quarter before the Spiders found their rhythm. Jaide Hinds-Clarke canned a pair of free throws followed by a jumper in the lane. Then it was Micaela in transition converting inside that forced BCU into a timeout, clinging to a three-point lead.

BCU threw its counterpunch after that timeout and closed the half on a 13-4 run to take a 40-28 lead into the locker rooms. Five different Spiders scored in the first half, four of which contributed at least six points. Alex Parson led the way with seven while Micaela, Hinds-Clarke and Karleigh Wike each had six.

The tension was palpable in the third quarter. Both sides had extreme trouble scoring the ball as the defensive effort rose intensely. Richmond cut the lead to eight with 2:08 left in the quarter on the strength of mostly free throws have enduring a stretch of over five minutes without a field goal. At the same time, the Spider defense held the Wildcats without a field goal for nearly seven minutes until a three ball fell in the closing moments. Micaela fouled the shooter on the attempt and it turned into a four-point play to give BCU a 49-37 lead entering the fourth.

The Spiders battled but ultimately ran out of gas in the fourth quarter. The team trailed by as many as 17 in the period but salvaged a mini-run down the stretch to close this one out with a 13-point deficit.

The non-conference schedule is now complete and the Spiders will turn the page and start a new chapter to the season when it travels to Rhode Island on Dec. 31 to close out 2017 with the beginning of Atlantic 10 Conference play. The Spiders swept the Rams in two games last season and will look to keep that momentum alive in Kingston 10 days from now.