By Kyle Soppe
The Richmond Spiders needed a big performance to prove to themselves that they are among the elite in the A-10, and they got just that on Saturday night. The Spiders led from start to finish, on their way to a 63-45 win over the Billikens of St. Louis.
The Spiders, stuck in a bit of funk of late, decided to switch up their starting front court. Gen Okoro and Liz Brown came off the bench, while Sam Bilney and Amber Battle made their first starts of the 2011-2012 season. Whether the move sparked a fire under the Spiders, or it was simply a matter of time, Richmond’s play in the first six minutes reminded the Spider faithful of the early season.
Abby Oliver, coming off of a career high 28 points against Dayton on Wednesday, found a wide open Battle on the games first possession. Battle splashed home the mid range jumper, a sign of things to come. After forcing a Billiken turnover, Oliver decided to do things herself, as she lined up a three pointer that she dribbled into on the left hand side. The net snapped violently as her shot was picture perfect, giving the Spiders a five point lead; a number that would only grow as the game progressed.
Richmond then used an uptempo game to further make the home team uncomfortable. Following another St. Louis miscommunication, Sam Bilney buried a transition jump shot, giving the Spiders three buckets before the Billikens even attempted a shot. A rebound by Wann, and a pass ahead to Oliver, and the rout was on. Rachel Bilney found sister Sam for yet another easy bucket, extending the advantage to 11-0. A Liz Brown turnaround bank shot, and Richmond had a bakers dozen before St. Louis had recorded a single tally.
Courtney Webb (11.3 points per game) got the Billikens on the score board with a mid range jump shot at the 14:33 mark of the first half, but their struggles continued. They began to hold onto the ball, but the Richmond man to man defense forced them into difficult shots, and St. Louis connected on only of 7/28 in the first half.
Battle continued to make the most of her first career start, flexing her muscles inside and out. She drained two triples and connected on driving floater, giving her a game high 10 points at the intermission. Oliver chipped in eight points, while Becca Wann scored six and collected five of the teams 23 first half boards. Sam Bilney logged 12 minutes and was very efficient on her way to four points and four rebounds. Richmond’s dominance was never in question, and they held a 36-17 lead.
The second half saw the Billikens keep pace with the Spiders, but considering they were facing a 19 point deficit, simply matching Richmond wasn’t nearly enough to threaten the visitors. The lead never shrunk lower than 15 points, and Richmond won in convincing fashion. Oliver, who averages 1.5 more points per game in conference play, led the way with 15 points. Becca Wann dropped in 12 points and was one rebound shy of a double double. Production out of those two is to be expected, but it was frosh Amber Battle whose surprise production propelled Richmond. She made four of her seven shots for a career high 10 points. Her size gave the Billikens, who boast one of the best rebounding fronts in the nation with Mallory Eggert and Lorreal Jones, all that they could handle, as she snatched six rebounds.
The Billikens were paced by Eggert’s 16 points on 4/6 shooting from the field. Jones and Eggert combined 15 rebounds, six of which came on the offensive side. Freshmen guard Jamesia Price contributed 10 points, as she made all three of her shots from the field. The Billikens struggled passing the basketball, as they recorded only three helpers as compared to their 17 turnovers.
Richmond hosts Rhode Island on Wednesday, while St. Louis travels to Cincinnati to face a Xavier team who just ended their losing streak.
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