Parson Nets 24, Hudalla Nearly Picks Up a Double Double in 58-49 Loss to UMass

Wednesday, February 21

Robins Center

7:00 PM

University of Richmond

12-16 (7-8)

UMass

13-15 (5-10)

UMASS

Richmond

Parson Nets 24, Hudalla Nearly Picks Up a Double Double in 58-49 Loss to UMass

02/21/2018 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Matt Moretti III (@Moretts13)

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. – The University of Richmond women's basketball team (12-16, 7-8 Atlantic 10) suffered a setback to UMass (13-15, 5-10 A-10) on Wednesday night in the Robins Center, despite 24 points from Micaela Parson and a near double-double from Alicia Hudalla; falling to the Minutewomen, 58-49, in the penultimate contest of the 2017-18 regular season.

Micaela grabbed seven boards and added a block and a steal in addition to her point total. She also went 2-4 from the free throw line, inching her closer to the single-season free throws made record. She now rests just five shy of matching that mark of 146, set by Karen Elsner in 1983-84. Her 24 points were enough to give her 510 total in her senior season thus giving her the 13th, 500-point season in program history and making her just eighth player in program history accomplish that feat.

Hudalla pulled down 11 boards to go with nine points, two assists, a steal and a block in perhaps the most balanced game of her career. She was 4-9 from the floor and 1-3 from long range over 34 minutes of action. Meanwhile, Kailyn Fee buried a trio of threes for her nine points, giving her 60 made triples for the season, just one shy of joining two other former Spiders for ninth-most in a single-season in program history.

Kylie Murphree continued her solid point guard play in this one. She score just two points but handed out six more assists, moving her into sole possession of third all-time on the career assists list with 386 in her career. She also contributed three steals which gives her 190 for her career. That number ranks ninth all-time in program history.

The Spiders struggled to find their shot in this one, shooting just 27.9 percent in a game that featured four ties and 11 lead changes but just nine bench points and a 6-36 mark from deep doomed the home side on Wednesday night. UMass capitalized by shooting 38.9 percent in 14 fewer shot attempts while limiting its turnovers to just 13 against a Spider defense that forces 17.4 per game.

Richmond led by one, 15-14, after one but the Minutewomen put the clamps on in the second, holding the Spiders to just 21.4 percent from the floor and seven points to take a five-point lead into the locker rooms. The Spiders came out strong in the third though, immediately erasing the deficit with three consecutive made buckets, forcing UMass into an early timeout.

Dee Hatcher added a lay-in to make it a three-point Richmond lead at the 6:10 mark and Micaela canned a jumper at the 3:13 mark to give the Spiders their largest lead of the second half, 34-29. However, UMass answered with a 7-0 run that was only halted by a Fee triple with 37 seconds to go in the quarter. Richmond led, 37-36, entering the fourth. The Spiders were previously unbeaten, 5-0, in Atlantic 10 play when leading entering the fourth.

Jaide Hinds-Clarke knocked down a free throw with 8:53 to go, pushing Richmond ahead, 40-39, after UMass had taken the lead but that was the last time the Spiders would be ahead on the scoreboard in this one. The Minutewoman jumped back out to the lead and made free throws in the late stages to keep the Spiders at arms-length and secure the victory.

Richmond can still clinch the eighth-seed and the right to host a home game in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament next Tuesday (Feb. 27) if it can defeat George Washington on the road on Saturday (Feb. 24) afternoon. However, if Richmond loses, a Davidson loss to VCU would need to occur in order for Richmond to host on the 27th. Any other scenario results in the Spiders traveling next week.