By Kyle Soppe
The Richmond Spiders, already locked into the four seed in next weeks A-10 tournament, traveled to North Carolina to play the Charlotte 49ers. The game was important both ways, as the Spiders looked to strengthen their NCAA resume while the 49ers looked to assure themselves of the sixth seed in next weekends tournament.
The home team came out with a game plan, and that was to bloody the nose of the Spiders inside. The starting front court of Amanda Dowe and Jennifer Haley combined for Charlotte’s first 11 points, all in the paint, as they jumped out to a seven point advantage. The Spiders struggled to get any kind of flow on the offensive end, as only Liz Brown recorded a bucket in the games first six minutes. Becca Wann and Rachel Bilney both found the starting center for easy layups, but Richmond never got comfortable in the first half.
Ny Hammonds put together her best four possession run of the season, as she took over, pushing the lead to nine points. The reserve point guard set up Jai Forney on constructive plays, both of which showcased Hammonds play making ability. She knifed her way into the paint, collapsing the sluggish Spider D, and spotting her open teammate. Following the two pretty passes, Hammonds took the scoring into her own hands, as she converted in the lane for an easy deuce on a nice pass from Jennifer Hailey. A steal and a coast to coast layup, and Spider Coach Michael Schafer was left with no choice but to burn his second timeout in the games first 10 minutes.
The scoring of Becca Wann and Abby Oliver kept Richmond within shouting distance. While the Spiders struggled to get stops on defense, the duo managed to tally 20 first half points which kept the lead right around 10 points for the remainder of the half. Scoring hasn’t been the issue for the 22 win Spiders, but trading baskets isn’t going to erase a double digit deficit. Wann connected on four of her eight shots and grabbed seven rebounds in the first 20 minutes, while Oliver connected on her two three point attempts. Richmond seemed to be finding its groove as the half concluded, but a lightning quick double crossover and smooth step back by Epiphany Woodson created just enough space for the senior guard to knock down a deep deuce at the buzzer, extending their lead to 42-31.
Charlotte’s balance gave Richmond fits, as three players scored at least eight points, and eight of nine players scored.
The first half saw Richmond attempt six more shots from the field, but they made five fewer baskets. The 49ers recorded 11 assists (three by both Holmes and Hammonds) on 16 buckets.
The beginning of the second session was remarkably similar to the first half, as the 49ers went inside and the Spiders went to Liz Brown. Woodson found Haley inside, where her strength was too much for the Spiders post players. The difference in this half, however, was the Spiders willingness to buckle down defensively. After Haley’s layup, Wann and Oliver continued to lead the offense, while all five Spiders locked down defensively. Richmond capitalized on back to back Charlotta turnovers, as Wann hit Gen Okoro with a beautiful jump pass and Oliver drilled her patented foul line pull up jumper. The defensive tenacity continued, as Richmond forced Charlotte into bad shots and general discomfort that we didn’t see in the games first half.
The run continued as Brown tied up Haley, resulting in a mid range jump shot from Oliver. Brown’s defensive prowess gave the Spiders the ball back, as she shut down the 49ers inside game with a swat. For other A-10 teams, this is the Spider team that should be feared. The 10-0 run was keyed by superior defense, and with the scoring versatility that Richmond boasts, commitment on the defensive end makes this team among the best in the conference.
Woodsen’s ability to create her own shot broke down the Spiders defense and gave Charlotte the production needed to maintain a sizable edge. Her and Hammonds were able to gash Richmond’s defense with the bounce, and push the margin to 55-45. This half was an improvement for the Spiders defense, as they aggressively played the passing lanes, but the 49ers adjusted accordingly and began to drive more and pass less.
When push came to shove, the interior game for Charlotte was simply too much. Every time the 49ers needed a score, their offense ran through Hailey. She connected on nine of her 15 field goal attempts and controlled the painted area the entire night. She totaled a game high 20 points to go along with her game high 13 rebounds and five blocked shots. Woodsen’s play making ability and all around game gave the 49ers the boost they needed from their back court, as the senior finished with 15 points, six assists, and five rebounds on senior night. Hammonds 1-1 shooting day could be overlooked, but her game high seven dimes and no turnovers showed why she is trusted to run this offense. She eclipsed 100 assists on the year, a number great play makers look to obtain. Charlotte had six players tally at least eight points, while the Spiders only had three players reach that total.
Becca Wann led Richmond in points (17), assists (3), and rebounds (9). Richmond, who averages 17 turnovers per game, only threw the ball away 11 times, but could never get into a good rhythm. The team shot 38% from the field for the game, and didn’t connect from distance in the second half. Richmond’s starting five combined for nearly 70% of the minutes played in this game, as the 49ers bench outscored the Spiders by 11.
The A-10 tournament awaits both of these teams over the next weekend.
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