Men’s, women’s basketball bring back-to-back victories against La Salle

The University of Richmond men’s and women’s basketball teams overpowered La Salle University on Feb. 12 and 13, respectively. 

Men’s Basketball vs La Salle, Win 77-63

In the first half, UR was able to maintain a steady lead against the Explorers, with the Spiders entering into halftime up by just three points. La Salle was the first to score in the first half with a jump shot from within the paint, but graduate guard Jacob Gilyard responded with his first three-pointer, and graduate forward Grant Golden followed behind with a jumper from the paint. 

The remainder of the first half was a back-and-forth exchange of points by both teams with several lead changes. With 1:10 left in the first half and UR down by two, graduate guard Nick Sherod shot a three-pointer to gain UR the lead at 34-33. In the final seconds, senior forward Matt Grace went 2-2 with free throws, adding two more points to the Spiders’ lead against the Explorers. 

In the second half, UR maintained control of the lead but La Salle was close behind at multiple pivotal moments. At the 13:27 mark, the Explorers were able to pierce the Spiders’ defense and sink a three, minimizing the lead to two points. Golden added a layup, but again, the Explorers were close behind with a jumper to reclose the game to two points. 

With the Explorers three points behind and eight minutes left in the game, the Spiders took three fouls in a row by La Salle. Gilyard, Burton and graduate forward Nathan Cayo sank six free throw attempts, each sinking their two attempts. 

The Spiders added a few straggling points during the remainder of the quarter to gain a 14 point lead and win 77-63. 

The Spiders will play again at 7 p.m. on Feb. 18 against Virginia Commonwealth University at the Stuart C. Siegel Center.

Women’s Basketball vs La Salle, Win 75-58

The first quarter started with a bang for the Spiders, with sophomore forward Addie Budnik sinking a three-pointer within the first 30 seconds. Senior guard Claire Holt followed behind Budnik with a layup while sophomore guard Siobhan Ryan added a layup and a three following a fast break. La Salle broke the Spider’s 10-0 lead with a single free throw following a foul from UR.

Senior guard Kate Klimkiewicz started another Spider point streak with a three at the 7:14 mark, the first three points of an 11 point streak. The remaining eight points came from jump shots from sophomore guard Grace Townsend, Klimkiewicz and Holt. With 0:33 on the clock, senior forward Emma Squires went 1-2 for free throws adding another point to UR's 14 point lead against the Explorers. 

Freshman forward Cayla Williams continued the Spider’s lead at the beginning of the second quarter with a three-pointer, leaving UR to lead 27-12. With 7:04 on the clock, Klimkiewicz scored a jump shot from the paint and seconds later added a layup extending the lead to 17 points. 

At the three-and-a-half mark, La Salle fouled the Spiders and Holt took the line, where she went 2-2 in free throws. After a missed three by La Salle, Klimkiewicz recovered the rebound, where Townsend assisted Budnik with a layup, turning the 17 point lead to a 19 point lead. In the final minute and a half of the quarter, Budnik went 2-2 in free throws and Holt added another two points. Following Holt’s layup, the Spiders entered halftime leading against the Explorers 39-25. 

In the third quarter, fans saw UR extend its lead against the Explorers to a 24 point gap, scoring 25 points while battling La Salle’s defense. Klimkiewicz followed a free throw from the Explorers with a layup and a three-pointer and Budnik added three back-to-back layups. With 1:03 on the clock, Squires swished a three-pointer but was fouled and added two more points with free throws. With only 10 seconds left in the quarter, Townsend was also fouled and added two more points to UR’s 64-42 lead. 

The last quarter was slower as the game began to wind down, but UR kept up the momentum until the very end. Freshman guard Sydney Boone scored the Spider’s last points with a three-pointer at 0:25 and with a good jump shot from La Salle. The game ended with UR winning 75-58. 

The women’s basketball team will play again at 5 p.m. on Feb. 16 against Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. 

Contact sports co-editor Andrew Cardounel at andrew.cardounel@richmond.edu.