Women’s basketball beats Davidson 69-57

The women’s basketball team played a tremendous game against the Davidson Wildcats at the Robins Center on Sunday, Jan. 26. 

The Spiders earned a 69-57 win with strong defense and consistent energy throughout the game, namely by senior Jaide Hinds-Clarke, who recorded 13 points, eight rebounds, three assists and five steals. 

It was a defensive battle on both ends -- the Spiders forced 19 turnovers from the Wildcats and outrebounded them 39-33. 

The Spiders held on tight throughout the first quarter. A failed steal attempt by sophomore Claire Holt led to a three-pointer by Davidson’s Katie Turner, tying the score at 6-6. After battling to close a nine-point deficit in the second quarter, Claire Holt hit a three-pointer with just about four minutes left before halftime to tie the score. Holt was another of the top performers on Sunday, accruing 14 points. 

Richmond began the second half with the ball, and sophomore Kate Klimkiewicz continued the Spiders' momentum by making a deep three-pointer from the right side. Klimkiewicz also contributed 12 points throughout the game, including the first two points of the game. She has played in 20 games while making 18 consecutive starts for the Spiders. 

The Spiders completely took control of the game during the fourth quarter. Davidson, who had been previously undefeated in A-10 conference play, was unable to keep up with the Spiders' energy following Hinds-Clarke’s three-point shot to tie the game at 47-47 going into the fourth quarter. 

The Spiders outscored the Wildcats 22-10 in the fourth quarter to secure the 12-point victory.

Junior Alex Parson contributed six points in the fourth quarter, including scoring the last two points of the game from foul shots. Parson spoke highly of a few players who contributed off the bench. 

“I’m proud of us playing together, people coming off the bench and those who usually don’t get minutes, they showed out and came through for us,” Parson said.

Included in this group was first-year Angel Burgos, who scored her first career points in the second period by making a layup to give the Spiders the lead at 29-27. 

After the game, head coach Aaron Roussell reflected on the team's second consecutive win after starting conference play 0-4. 

“I thought our defense was fantastic there at the end,” Roussell said. 

Roussell said Hinds-Clarke brought a great amount of energy to the game and contributed important points throughout, including the three-pointer that tied the game going into the fourth quarter. 

The Spiders were able to outshoot the Wildcats in the fourth quarter, and went on a crucial 7-2 run that made it tough for Davidson to make a comeback. 

Parson said this win was important for the team's dynamic. 

“Leading up to this game, we had some long strides and came over adversity, but today we were able to make it over that hump,” Parson said. 

The women’s basketball team plays its next game at UMass on January 29. Tip-off is scheduled for 12 p.m.

Contact sports writer Grace Mittl at grace.mittl@richmond.edu