Townsend Spurs Spiders to Victory Over Tribe

Thursday, December 1

Williamsburg, VA

7 p.m.

University of Richmond

6-2,0-0Atlantic 10

William & Mary

3-3,0-0CAA

Richmond

William & Mary

12/01/2022 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Grace Townsend scored nine-straight points over two minutes in the fourth quarter to spur the University of Richmond women's basketball team to a 74-62 victory over William & Mary Thursday night at Kaplan Arena.

The Tribe didn't have a defensive answer to Townsend's driving the lane for the layup and drawing the foul. Townsend finished with 23 points, just shy of her career high 25, while making a career high eight-of-nine from the free throw line.

Richmond, now 6-2 on the season, returns to Robins Center to host Duke Sunday for a 2 p.m. contest on ESPN+.

Shaking of a slow start and down 21-13 after the first quarter, Richmond flipped the momentum to take a slim two-point lead into the half. After the Tribe's lead expanded to 12 two minutes into the second quarter, Townsend tallied two layups and Cayla Williams hit back-to-back three-pointers to score 10-straight points to get within two at the media timeout. Addie Budnik tallied six of her 11 first half points in the final minutes of the period to give Richmond the lead at the half, 33-31.

The squads exchanged four lead changes and despite Richmond forcing five William & Mary turnovers in the third quarter, the Spiders were only able to take a 48-45 to the final 10 minutes of the contest. Townsend led UR with eight points, including going five-of-six from the free throw line in the period.

Siobhan Ryan and Sydney Boone hit back-to-back three pointers to push the Spiders lead to nine in the fourth. Emilija Krista Grava and Budnik chipped in layups around a pair of Tribe three pointers before Townsend took over, scoring nine straight points and push Richmond's lead out to 14 with a 1:38 left. Budnik finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.