Spiders Reroute Explorers in Wednesday Night Victory

Wednesday, February 8

Richmond, Va.

6 p.m.

University of Richmond

La Salle

02/08/2023 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

RICHMOND, Va. – Junior Grace Townsend recorded her fourth double-double of the season as the University of Richmond Women's Basketball team posted a 67-51 win over La Salle Wednesday night inside the Robins Center. With the win, the Spiders improved to 14-8 on the season and 4-5 in the Atlantic 10, while the Explorers fell to 14-11 on the year and an even 5-5 in conference play.

"I'm really proud of our players," said Head Coach Aaron Roussell. "It was a really great win for us, and I've said this for a few games, even after a win we aren't perfect. We can pick a lot of spots we can improve on but I thought our kids handled the pressure of La Salle really well especially when they started double teaming Grace. The game showed that our practice the past week really paid off."

The Spiders shot 29 of 59 (49.2%) from the field, 5 of 22 (22.7%) from deep and 4 of 7 (57.1%) from the free throw line. The team recorded 46 rebounds, including eight offensive, 18 assists, four steals, a block and had 44 points in the paint in addition to 16 points off 12 Explorer turnovers.

The team was led by freshman Maggie Doogan, who recorded her sixth-straight game in double figures with 20 points, seven rebounds, three assists and the lone block for Richmond. Townsend was just shy of a triple-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists while sophomore Katie Hill chipped in 12 points in the contest in addition to five rebounds and two thefts. Freshman Rachel Ullstrom was the final Spider in double figures as she put up 10 points in addition to six rebounds.

Doogan began the scoring campaign for the Spiders with a driving layup courtesy of junior Addie Budnik. With the game at two, UR went on a 5-0 run to build a 7-2 lead. After LAS cut the Spider lead to 9-7, easy layups from Ullstrom and Hill gave the Spiders a 15-9 lead. LAS ended the quarter with a layup to cut the deficit to 18-11 at the break.

In the first quarter, the Spiders were paced by Hill, who chipped in six points on 3 of 4 from the field. Budnik dropped two dimes in the quarter while Doogan and Townsend each contributed three boards.

In the second quarter, the teams held each other scoreless until junior Siobhan Ryan recorded a layup four minutes in for a 20-11 Spider lead. After the Explorers cut the deficit to 22-20 with two minutes on the clock, back-to-back layups from Ullstrom sent the Spiders into the locker room with a 26-20 advantage.

In the second quarter, the Explorers held Richmond to 4 of 15 (26.67%) from the field and denied any chance of a three-point opportunity.

Out of the locker room, Townsend quickly hit a layup to push the Spider lead to eight, 28-20, but LAS would scratch back and come within three, 28-25 with 7:36 left in the quarter. Later, an 11-0 run from Richmond sparked by Townsend allowed the Spiders to build an 11-point lead, 46-35, with just over three minutes in the quarter. A pair of free throws from Hill would preserve the lead, 48-37, going into the final 10 minutes.

The Spiders went on an 8-2 run to begin the final quarter to build a 16-point lead, 56-40, but the Explorers found a glimpse of hope and battled back to a nine-point deficit, 58-49, with 4:33 left in the game. Following the scoring drought, Ryan, Townsend and Doogan got the Spiders back on track and fired on all cylinders for a 16-point lead with 48 seconds left. A pair of deep shots from La Salle missed the mark as time expired and allowed the Spiders to take the game in double-digits, 67-51.

UP NEXT – The Spiders continue their slate of home games, taking on Davidson on Superbowl Sunday at 1 p.m. inside the Robins Center and will play host to Saint Louis on Feb. 15 at 6 p.m.