By Kyle Soppe
One week ago, the young Spiders were a team beaten at the buzzer. Their confidence shaken, the upcoming two game week had the potential to nullify the blazing 12-2 start for the Spiders. And when foul trouble limited two thirds of Richmond’s “big three”, the future continued to look bleak. While you can subtract 35% of a teams scoring, you can’t break the heart and spirit of this red shirt junior Rachael Bilney.
Despite struggling to find her scoring touch of late, Bilney immediately stepped into the lead role against George Washington on Wednesday. She opened the scoring with a long range bucket, and that was simply the beginning. It seemed that with every possession, Bilney took a step further back, and launched her picturesque right handed jumper. Her stroke was feeling so good from beyond the arc, she didn’t even bother attempting a two pointer after she converted a lay up 4 minutes into the contest.
With only seconds remaining in a convincing Spider victory, Bilney had tied the all time Richmond record for three pointers made in a single game with seven (on only eight attempts). The shot clock melted away, and the ball was once again in the hands of #31. With a defender all over her, she rose up for the games final shot attempt, just to avoid a violation. As if there was any doubt, the ball softly tickled the twine, giving Rachael the all time mark. Her eight for nine performance for distance resulted in a career high 32 points. In the 74-57 win, Bilney also managed a game high six helpers, five rebounds, and three steals in 39 strong minutes. She connected on all six of her free throws, bringing her season percentage to 96.4. This was just what the doctor ordered for Richmond, and the momentum carried over when her Spiders traveled to UMass on Saturday.
This game was never close, as the Spiders raced out to a big advantage and never looked back. Bilney did much of the damage early, before giving way to some teammates who don’t see as much playing time. She tallied a team high 12 points on five of nine shooting in the convincing 73-54 victory over UMass. Another sparkling all around performance for Bilney, as she recorded five assists, five boards, two steals, and a blocked shot. Richmond may have opened up A-10 with disappointment, but they proved they are here to stay, thanks in large part to the efforts of Bilney.
On the week, Rachael shot an astounding 71.4% from three point land while averaging 22 points, 5.5 assists, and 5 rebounds. The Spiders are a deep team with limitless potential, but how good can they be? We may get the answer, as they square off against the A-10 leading Bonnies on Wednesday night at the Riley Center.
Who gets your POTW?
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