Spiders Fall In Overtime Heartbreaker At A-10 Championship Quarterfinal Against Saint Louis

Friday, March 12

Richmond, VA

8 PM

University of Richmond

13-9,9-6Atlantic 10

#3 Saint Louis (A-10 Quarterfinals)

12-3,9-3Atlantic 10

OT 1

Richmond

Saint Louis

Spiders Fall In Overtime Heartbreaker At A-10 Championship Quarterfinal Against Saint Louis

03/12/2021 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

RICHMOND, Va. – The University of Richmond women's basketball team forced overtime with a furious fourth quarter comeback but fell just short against Saint Louis, 59-58, Friday at the Siegel Center. The Spiders end the season in the Atlantic 10 Championship quarterfinal round for the second-straight season.

"You look back at a lot of things but that last play we got a good look," head coach Aaron Roussell said. "We were the hunter today and we used yesterday to fuel that comeback. Two good teams over five minutes just don't know what can happen. They are a very well coached team and you hate losing but hopefully this gives them a chance to make a run here too."

Richmond (13-9) shot 30.8 percent from the field and 23.8 percent from the three-point line. The Spiders lost the rebounding battle 48-38 and gave up 16 offensive rebounds to the Billikens. Ciaja Harbison led Saint Louis with 17 points and four assists. Brooke Flowers had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Junior Kate Klimkiewicz (Oakton, Va.) led the Spiders with 19 points, seven rebounds and eight steals, tied for the third most in school history for a single-game. Klimkiewicz finished 7-for-14 from the field and was 3-for-8 from the three-point line. Freshman Grace Townsend (Midlothian, Va.) had 12 points off the bench and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Senior Alex Parson (North Chesterfield, Va.), making her 83^rd straight start, finished her Spider career with 11 points, five rebounds and four steals. Freshman Addie Budnik (Highland Park, Ill.) added six points, four rebounds and four blocks, ending her season with 65 blocks and recorded a block in all 22 games.

With 4:23 remaining in the fourth quarter, Saint Louis held a 50-39 lead before the Spiders went on a spirited comeback. Townsend got it started with a layup plus the foul and Klimkiewicz made a fast break three-pointer to quickly make it a five-point game at 50-45. Budnik cut the lead to three points on a layup to make it 50-47 with 1:47 left. Junior Emma Squires (Kingston, Mass.) hit two free throws to make it 50-49. Parson came up with a steal and found Townsend who made a driving layup plus the foul to put Richmond ahead 52-50 sparking an 11-0 run. Harbison answered with 33 seconds left to tie the game at 52-52. Klimkiewicz had a three-pointer to win it but just missed to send the game into overtime.

In the overtime, Flowers gave Saint Louis a 54-52 lead off a layup but Squires came back with a three-pointer to put the Spiders up 55-54. Flowers again responded with a layup plus the foul to go back up 57-55 with 3:17 remaining. Townsend got fouled and made two free throws to tie the game up at 57-57. Flowers came up with two offensive rebounds and another layup to give Saint Louis a 59-57 lead. Klimkiewicz came up with her eighth steal and made one of two free throws to cut the lead to 59-58. Squires would get two three-point opportunities but neither would drop.

In the first quarter, Klimkiewicz set the tone with a steal and fast break layup to go ahead 2-0. Junior Claire Holt (Hoover, Ala.) gave UR a 6-4 lead after a layup with 5:32 remaining in the quarter. Klimkiewicz had another steal and scored on a fast break layup to pull ahead 8-4. Saint Louis ended the first quarter on a 9-2 run to take a 13-10 lead after one quarter.

Budnik started the second quarter with a pair of free throws to cut the lead to 13-12. The Billikens went on another run at 9-0 capped by a jumper from Harbison to lead 22-12. Klimkiewicz hit a three-pointer to stop the run but Harbison answered with a pull-up jumper. The Spiders got within nine points after another steal from Klimkiewicz and fast break layup. The Billikens' Myriama Smith Traore made a layup at the buzzer to go into the locker room with a 33-22 lead.

Richmond trailed 33-22 at halftime after Saint Louis outscored the Spiders 20-12 in the second quarter. UR shot 25.0 percent from the field (8-for-32) and were just 1-for-7 from the three-point line. The Spiders batted on the boards outrebounding Saint Louis 21-19.

The Spiders outscored Saint Louis 11-7 in the third quarter and 19-12 in the fourth quarter to come all the way back from an 11-point halftime deficit. UR held Saint Louis to just 19 points in the final two quarters.

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