Spiders Dominate Rams in Home Finale Behind Townsend’s Career Night

Wednesday, February 23

Richmond, Va.

6 p.m.

University of Richmond

15-13,6-9Atlantic 10

Fordham

16-9,7-6Atlantic 10

Fordham

Richmond

Photo by: Keith Lucas

Spiders Dominate Rams in Home Finale Behind Townsend’s Career Night

02/23/2022 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Postgame Press Conference

RICHMOND, Va. – The Richmond Spiders fended off Fordham Wednesday night to defeat the Rams 79-69 in the last home game of the season behind a career night for sophomore Grace Townsend. Richmond's entire starting five scored in double-figures on the night, accounting for each Spider point in the game, as Richmond improved to 15-13 overall and 6-9 in Atlantic 10 play while Fordham dropped to 16-9 overall and 7-6 in conference play.

"This was a fantastic win for the program for a lot of a lot of different reasons. With bouncing back and for seeding purposes, I thought it was a big win, but I also think just for the kids that have been here for a long time to get a win in their last game here at the Robins Center. Hopefully that means a lot to them, and I'm really proud of how it happened," said head coach Aaron Roussell. "I thought our effort on the boards was huge today. I know [Fordham] got some maybe at the end, but the tenacity, the boxing out, and everything that we had going on the in the first half on the boards was fantastic, and probably something we haven't seen here in a long time."

Addie Budnik opened the game with a triple in Richmond's first possession to get on the board first, and the Spiders later went on an 18-0 run spanning 5:58 to take a 23-5 lead in the first quarter. Richmond held Fordham scoreless for 6:28 in the frame and led 23-7 at the end of the period.

Kate Klimkiewicz pushed the lead to 26-7 with an early three in the second while the Rams went scoreless in the frame until 6:21. Fordham closed out the second quarter with a 3-pointer of their own, but Richmond still held a 40-19 lead heading into the halftime break. Townsend, Budnik, and Klimkiewicz had all reached double-figures by that point.

Townsend sparked a quick 8-0 run for the Spiders with a triple early in the third, and Richmond's lead hit 30 on a trey from Emma Squires at 3:31 that made it 63-33. Richmond held the 67-41 lead going into the final frame.

The Rams took off on a 12-0 lead in the fourth to cut their deficit to eight points at 4:15, but Townsend ended that run with a driving layup at 3:21, and Fordham would go cold from the field for the rest of the game, scoring just six points off free throws the rest of the night.

Notables

Grace Townsend led the Spiders in scoring and on the glass in the game with a career-high 25 points and career-high 13 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. She shot 10-of-14 from the field and added two assists and a steal.
Richmond's entire starting five scored in double-figures for the first time since Dec. 12 against William & Mary.
The Spiders outshot the Rams 51 percent to 34 percent in the game, including 52 percent to 21 percent in the first half.
Addie Budnik tallied a career-high four steals alongside 18 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.
Kate Klimkiewicz also finished in double-digits with 15 points and hauled in seven rebounds.
Emma Squires and Siobhan Ryan round out the five Spiders in double-figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively, while Ryan also had nine rebounds.