By Aaron M Smith
If you told Richmond Spiders head coach Michael Shafer before Thursday’s game at North Carolina State that for most of the first half the Spiders would be without their two main scoring threats, he would have probably passed. But that is exactly the predicament the Spiders found themselves in, as Abby Oliver and Gen Okoro were forced to the bench early in the first stanza with foul trouble. But that is when freshman guard Keri Soppe stepped in and the Richmond Spiders had the Wolfpack right where they wanted them.
With both players on the bench, Soppe scored 10 of her career high 12 points in the first half to help pace the Spiders to a 38-32 halftime lead. The gutsy guard scored most of the points driving to the basket for easy lay-ups against a Wolfpack team that was previously undefeated at home, 5-0. For the game, Soppe finished with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists making her the selection for A-10 Performance of the Week.
“She gained her confidence early. We had to adjust our defensive plan in the second half,” stated Wolfpack Coach Kelly Harper.
In the second half, Soppe glady changed roles and became the “distributor” of the rock. Abby Oliver returned to score 15 second half points, while Soppe had 4 assists as the Spiders never looked back. Keri’s 5 defensive rebounds tied a team high – not bad for a 5’9” point guard. As a team, Richmond finished with 17 assists and five blocks. The Rochester, NY native was an integral piece of a defense that held North Carolina State to just 31.3% shooting on the game.
With the win, the A-10’s youngest team improved their record on the season to 8-2. Next up for Richmond is Liberty, who comes to town on Tuesday, Dec. 20 at 4 p.m.
Thoughts on the selection? Other nominations for our Performance of the Week?
Way to go!