Spiders Sharp In 75-60 Win

By Kyle Soppe

 

The Richmond Spiders have been tested all week, and they passed their test on Saturday afternoon in the Robins Center. After six days off in order to prepare for their final exams, the Spiders took down UNC Greensboro 75-60. There was little doubt in this contest, as Richmond led for 36.5 minutes and by as much as 25 points in the second half.

UR came out firing on their home court, jumping ahead of UNCG 7-0 in the games first 90 seconds. Five of those points came from an aggressive Abby Oliver who attacked the rim in a strong way. After the initial spurt, however, Jazz Weaver was able to find her rhythm, on her way to a career night.

Weaver displayed a full range of skills and scored 11 of her teams first 17 points. The individual run included numerous open looks due to the effective full court press. Early on, the Spiders offense was sped up by the 94 foot defense, and committed open court turnovers which led to easy scoring opportunities for the visitors. After a mid range jumper, Weaver swished home a straight away ‘3’. The next possession saw Weaver rip the ball away from the unsuspecting Spider, and put in a layup. In seven quick minutes, UNCG had turned a seven point hole into a 17-14 lead.

After the second media timeout, Coach Michael Shafer and his Spiders seemed to solve the defense that had caused them so many issues, Once they were able to get into their offensive sets, Abby Oliver and Gen Okoro went to work, with reserve guard Kristina King providing a significant boost.

Okoro, the A-10’s fourth leading rebounder, fought hard on the offensive glass, and put back a Becca Wann miss, giving the Spiders a lead that they would not surrender. Following the energy provided by Okoro, King entered the game and made her presence felt. On the next three possessions, the sophomore scored four points and fit a laser of a chest pass into an incredibly tight window, as Okoro capitalized for an easy bucket. Richmond’s offensive success increased their intensity on the defensive end, and UNCG only tallied two points over the next five minutes.

Now with a 31-21 advantage, Richmond displayed patience and ran their offense with an amount confidence that was not seen in the early going. The offense focused on leading scorer Oliver, and her decision making allowed the lead to expand quickly. Her sharp shooting skills are her calling card, and she reminded us why with two impressive buckets. She drained a deep three, on an assist from Okoro, and then found her inner MJ on a turnaround fade away. As the senior leader, she also ignited the offense on the defensive end, as she recorded a steal just prior to the halftime buzzer, and turned it into two points for All-American soccer star Becca Wann. Behind 14 from Oliver, 8 from Rachael Bilney, and 10 points and 5 rebounds from Okoro, the Spiders went to the locker room with a convincing 45-31 lead.

With UNCG displaying resilience after the early game struggle, UR made sure to dash any hopes of a comeback in the early minutes of the second half. Bilney stole the ball from Breonna Paterson, Greensboro’s leading scorer, and took it coast to coast on the half’s first possession. UNCG’s third turnover on as many possessions led to a put back by freshman point guard Keri Soppe, extending the Spiders advantage to a game high of 20.

Richmond would simply play within themselves and control the game from this point forward. UNCG would get as close as 12, on the heels of a layup by Janae Stevenson, but UR’s confidence never left. They would score 15 of the games next 17 points, a run that was concluded by a catch and shoot trey from King, giving her a career high for points (7).

When all was said and done, the Spiders prevailed by a final score of 75-60. Richmond showed no ill effects from the time off, and seem poised to greatly surpass preseason expectations. They were paced by the usual suspects, as Oliver, Okoro, and Bilney all contributed at least 12 points. Wann recorded her first double digit performance of the season (10), and provided great energy. King (7) and Soppe (6) added career high point totals for the well balanced Spiders of Richmond.

The schedule doesn’t get any easier, as Richmond will finish up exams and head to NC State on Thursday to battle with the Wolf pack.