Spiders on four game winning streak after victory over Dayton

Strong first and last periods allowed the University of Richmond women’s basketball team to push past Dayton College 85-67 on Wednesday, Jan. 14. 

The Flyers opened up the game with a layup, but senior guard Rachel Ullstrom immediately answered with a 3-pointer. On fire, Ullstrom picked up another 3-pointer and a jumper in the coming minutes, not missing a single attempt. 

After several missed layups, free throws and a turnover, Dayton called a timeout. The Flyers subbed out most of their players and hoped for a fresh start with points from the bench. However, it did little good as the Spiders continued to completely shut them down. 

With four and a half minutes on the clock, another shot from the arc by Ullstrom brought the score to 16-4. Richmond had a perfect 8-of-8 from the field and 4-of-4 from 3-point range, but that finally broke with a missed 3-pointer with three and half minutes remaining. 

In a desperate situation, Dayton tried to close the immense gap. Several free throws helped the Flyers put points on the board, but they were still 13 points behind at the buzzer. 

Scoring was sparse for the Spiders in the second period, the team shooting 1-7 from the 3-point line. Richmond found less opportunity to score and the Flyers tried to take advantage, but still struggled with missed shots. 

The teams found themselves in a stalemate, the Spiders struggling to find the basket and Dayton’s push coming up unsuccessful. 

A layup by graduate forward Tierra Simon once again put Richmond ahead by double digits going into the break. 

Senior forward Sam Dewey opened the second half with a 3-pointer, but the Flyers pushed back with two baskets. Not deterred in the slightest, Dewey knocked back another shot behind the 3-point line. 

The Flyers kept their name in the hat, bringing the deficit to six points in the final minutes of the period. Senior forward Maggie Doogan, a consistent high-scorer for Richmond, continued to face troubles in the face of the Dayton comeback. 

Her two missed shots and a foul did little to aid the Spiders. However, junior guard Ally Sweeney was prepared to take the brunt of the force. With five points and an assist from her in the late minutes of the third period, Richmond went into the final period with an 11 point lead. 

Bringing the score to 59-50, Dayton released a quick basket to open up play. First-year guard Rayne Wright tallied her first career 3-pointer and maintained UR’s space in turn. 

The two teams went on to swap points for a majority of the frame, but a 3-pointer by Sweeney halfway through the period gave UR a 17-point lead. The Spiders continued to drill out baskets, matching the Flyers all the way through to the end.

A final layup by Sweeney brought the score to 85-67, completing the Spiders' road to victory. 

"We did a lot of things really well tonight," Head Coach Aaron Roussell said in a press release. "We were worried about legs and emotions coming off of Saturday's triple-overtime win but we showed a lot of maturity and grit getting off to a fast start. We made some mistakes defensively and gave up too many offensive rebounds no doubt, which we will have to re-address after making some progress prior. It was a great team effort but Ally and Rachel were both exceptional tonight. Rachel was lights out and Ally just completely controlled the game."

The Spiders are now on a four-game winning streak, earning a 5-1 conference record after a stumbling loss to Rhode Island University at the beginning of their Atlantic 10 schedule. Wins have become vital as Richmond is led by the Rams and George Mason University, both teams having perfect records. 

Additionally, a tie with Davidson College on the leaderboard leaves the Spiders hungry to keep up, hunting for a solid top three placement.  

Next up, Richmond faces Virginia Commonwealth University on Sunday, Jan. 18 at noon in a highly anticipated home battle. 

Contact sports editor Abigail Finney at abigail.finney@richmond.edu