Operation: Code Red Crowd Fuels Richmond Past VCU

Sunday, January 18

Richmond, Va.

Noon

University of Richmond

16-4,6-1Atlantic 10

VCU

6-13,2-5Atlantic 10

VCU

Richmond

01/18/2026 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

RICHMOND, Va. – Playing in front of its largest home crowd since 2000, the University of Richmond women's basketball team earned a dominant 77-47 win over VCU on Sunday afternoon inside the Robins Center during Operation: Code Red presented by CarMax, with an announced attendance of 5,224.

The win pushed the Spiders to 16-4 overall and 6-1 in Atlantic 10 Conference play, while the Rams fell to 6-13 overall and 2-5 in league action.

Richmond Starters
Sweeney, Newell, Ullstrom, Dewey, Doogan

How it Happened
VCU opened the scoring with a fast-break layup, but Richmond responded immediately. Rachel Ullstrom answered with a three pointer, and the Spiders followed with a 12-0 run over the next three minutes. Newell and Dewey both finished in transition during the spurt, while a pair of early steals fueled the run and pushed Richmond in front 12-2 at the 6:47 mark. Ullstrom continued her hot start with back-to-back baskets, and Doogan added a three pointer midway through the quarter as the Spiders stretched the lead to 20-4. Simon followed with a three of her own, as Richmond closed the opening frame with a 32-9 advantage after shooting 13-of-16 from the field.

Richmond opened the second quarter at the free throw line, as Ava Persichetti knocked down a pair of foul shots to extend the lead to 34-9. VCU answered with a three pointer to trim the margin to 34-12, but Richmond responded immediately as Ullstrom buried a trey to push the lead back to 25. Doogan added a three midway through the quarter to stretch the advantage to 40-12, and despite a brief VCU run late in the period, the Spiders held the Rams to 26.7 percent shooting in the half and carried a 45-23 lead into halftime.

Richmond opened the third quarter forcing turnovers on three of VCU's first four possessions. After a brief VCU basket, Newell converted a second-chance layup to rebuild the margin. Sweeney knocked down a three pointer off an offensive rebound, and Dewey followed with a triple to push the lead to 53-25 at the 6:54 mark. VCU responded from deep, but Doogan answered with back-to-back finishes off turnovers as the Spiders extended the advantage. Ullstrom added a three midway through the period, and Richmond carried a 64-33 lead into the final quarter.

Richmond opened the fourth quarter with defensive pressure, forcing a turnover on VCU's first possession and holding the Rams scoreless over the opening two minutes. Simon ignited the offense with a three pointer at the 7:50 mark, then followed with a layup to push the lead to 69-33. Richard added a basket in the paint to extend the margin to 71-33, and after a brief VCU response in transition, Sweeney answered with a layup to rebuild the lead to 73-35. Richmond led by as many as 38 following Richard's layup at the 6:39 mark and continued to rotate bodies down the stretch before closing out the 77-47 victory.

Notes on the Game
• Rachel Ullstrom led all scorers with 20 points, shooting 8-of-12 from the field and 4-of-8 from three-point range. Ullstrom posted her 17th career game with 20 or more points.
• Maggie Doogan finished with 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds, adding three assists, four steals and a block.
• Ally Sweeney posted 12 points and six assists, while Ava Persichetti chipped in nine points off the bench.
• Tierra Simon added eight points on 3-of-4 shooting, including a pair of three pointers.
• Richmond shot 48.4 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from three-point range while holding VCU to 32.8 percent shooting.
• The Spiders forced 13 VCU turnovers, converting them into 24 points, and outscored the Rams 34-24 in the paint.
• The attendance of 5,224 marked Richmond's largest home crowd since 2000 and the highest attendance of the Aaron Roussell era.
• Richmond took a one-game lead in the all-time series vs VCU, taking a 48-47 lead into the Feb. 1 matchup across town.
• With the sellout crowd, head coach Aaron Roussell earned the 450th win of his career.
• The Spiders assisted on 19 of 30 made field goals.
• Richmond improved to 8-1 at home this season.
• The Spiders now have won five straight games.

WBB Postgame: VCU

Up Next
The Spiders will have the week off before returning to action on Sunday, Jan. 25, facing George Mason at 2 p.m. in Fairfax, Va. The game will air nationally on ESPNU, marking Richmond's second national television appearance of the season.