University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
10-13 (4-6)
VCU
13-10 (6-4)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VCU | 16 | 15 | 12 | 14 | 57 |
| Richmond | 11 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 55 |
Spiders Go Down Swinging in Rematch with VCU, 57-55
02/01/2017 | Women's Basketball
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - The University of Richmond women's basketball team (10-13, 4-6 A-10) fought to the bitter end on Tuesday night in the rematch with crosstown rival VCU (13-10, 6-4 A-10) but was unable to come up with the knockout blow in the end, falling 57-55.
The offense was keyed once again by the duo of Janelle Hubbard and Micaela Parson who combined for 35 points in the loss. Hubbard dropped in a game high 18 points while Parson finished with 17 and nearly came away with her second-consecutive double-double, falling just one rebound short. Kylie Murphree scored five points but mostly benefited from the scoring output provided by the previously mentioned pair, handing out eight assists. Ragan Wiseman continued her steady improvement on the boards, pulling down seven, while also contributing nine points.
The Spiders shot 35.6 percent from the floor and paced with the much larger Rams on the boards, matching the visiting side in that category, 36-36. The difference was made however by an uncharacteristic 18 turnovers for Richmond that VCU was able to turn into 17 points on the other end. The Spiders did manage to drop in seven long balls to keep pace, making up for a rough shooting first quarter.
VCU took the early lead but Richmond managed to stay in the game by converting at the free throw line. Each of the first eight Spider points came from the charity stripe but VCU had built a 14-8 lead before Wiseman canned the first UR field goal from long range at the 1:05 mark of the first quarter. VCU went on to close the quarter with a five-point lead, 16-11, despite Richmond going just 1-11 from the floor.
Parson knocked in a three ball to begin the second quarter but VCU responded with a 5-0 run to build what went on to be its largest lead of the game, 21-14, forcing Coach Shafer to call for time with 8:26 left in the half. Hubbard hit a triple of her own just over two minutes later to cut into the lead then converted a pair of free throws to bring the deficit down to just two.
The two sides traded for a bit but VCU added some cushion at the 2:14 mark, taking a six-point advantage, 29-23 before Parson took matters into her own hands. She finished a driving layup with 1:51 left in the half then on the next Spider possession ripped an offensive rebound away from the would-be VCU rebounder and finished through contact to make it a two-point game once again. VCU scored on its final possession of the half to take a four-point lead into the locker rooms.
Richmond came out swinging in the third. Almost immediately the lead was cut to just one after a Hubbard lay-in with 8:22 left but VCU pushed back, extending its lead out to five by the 6:11 mark. The Spiders matched that effort with a 5-0 run of its own, capped off by a Hubbard triple to tie the score at 35. Both sides went nearly three minutes without a bucket when VCU canned a couple free throws to reclaim the lead but Richmond answered back with a layup before the Rams rattled off back-to-back threes to jump out to a six-point advantage with 2:07 to go in the quarter. The Spiders were able to recover and close the quarter on a 5-0 run to face a one-point deficit entering the fourth quarter.
The Spiders immediately took their first lead of the game when Jaide Hinds-Clarke finished inside off the feed form Parson and that lead lasted until the 6:48 mark when VCU reclaimed it. The two sides seesawed back and forth but it was VCU that held a four-point advantage with 4:06 left. Murphree hit a free throw at the 3:06 mark and Wiseman buried a triple with a hand in her face just about a minute and a half later to tie the game at 50 with 1:31 to go.
VCU called timeout following the Wiseman three and on its next possession found an open three ball that fell short but caromed long, away from any Richmond player and back into VCU possession. The Rams worked the ball around the perimeter and found another open look from long range in the corner, this time finding its mark to push the Rams ahead by three with 44 seconds left. Murphree was able to convert inside on quick scoring chance but VCU was able to make free throws to keep the Spiders at bay. Hubbard put down a long three as the buzzer sounded but it wouldn't be enough, as the home side would have to settle for the two-point loss.
Richmond will remain home to welcome Rhode Island to the Robins Center on Sunday (Feb. 5) at 1 p.m. During halftime of that game the Spiders will honor the 2017 Athletics Hall of Fame class that features, Ginny Doyle and Natalie Lewis, two members of the women's basketball family that are being inducted posthumously after tragically losing their lives in a hot air balloon accident in May of 2014. Doyle was an all-time great player for the Spiders and later an assistant coach. Lewis, a former member of the women's basketball staff, is being inducted as a member of the Team of Distinction, the 2010-11 Atlantic 10 Champion Swimming & Diving team, for which she was a captain.
