Spiders take down Duquesne, 59-45, in final home game

University of Richmond sophomore Becca Wann wasn't a starter at the beginning of the year, but several injuries pushed her into the lineup of the Atlantic 10's youngest team.

Leading her team with a double-double Wednesday night, Wann made the most of the extra minutes in a crucial game against Duquesne University. Wann finished with 14 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

"Honestly, I really wish she was still a bench player because the energy that she plays with," Richmond coach Michael Shafer said. "You love to bring that in as an extra boost.

"You can't teach what she does; she's fearless. She jumps in the air with complete disregard for her body."

Wann and the rest of the Spiders finished the game on a 10-0 run over the final five minutes of the game to win, 59-45, after the Dukes had pulled to within four points, 49-45.

The game was the Richmond's final regular-season contest in the Robins Center, where the team went 12-2. The win moved the Spiders to 22-6 overall, currently good for fourth in the A-10.

"I just couldn't be more excited with the way we played at home the whole season," Shafer said.

The game also served as the final home game for Abby Oliver, the team's lone senior. She finished with a team-high 15 points after getting held to just two points in the first half.

The Dukes gave most of the Richmond offense trouble in the first half, though the Spiders still held the lead, 29-24, going into the locker room.

"They knew who our scorers were, what we were trying to do, and it was like they were a step ahead of us," Richmond freshman Liz Brown said. "It was hard for us to be able to cut into open shots because they were so tight."

Duquesne forced 14 Richmond turnovers in the first half, but the Spiders adjusted in the second half, committing only three.

"I thought that was all us," Shafer said of the turnovers. "We were making some poor decisions with the basketball."

During Richmond's 10-0 run the last five minutes, Duquesne was looking to its low-post scorer, Carly Vendemia, for a boost. Brown was given the task of guarding her, and Vandemia went 0-4 during that stretch.

"Liz battled like crazy when, physically, she was outmatched," Shafer said. "She got buried really deep, but she held her ground once the ball came in and made the kid shoot contested shots."

Richmond will finish up its regular-season schedule on Sunday on the road against University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The A-10 Tournament will begin March 2 in Philadelphia, Pa.

Game Notes: Guard Alex Gensler led the way for the Dukes, finishing with 17 points, 14 of which came in the first half... Duquesne was second in the A-10 in scoring coming into the game, but 45 points is its lowest total of the season... Freshman guard Kerri Soppe played four minutes in the first half for UR, her first action in the Robins Center since suffering an injury in a game against Lehigh University before New Year's.

Contact staff writer David Weissman at david.weissman@richmond.edu