Sports
Spider of the Week: Rachael Bilney
By Avery Shackelford | January 18, 2012Q: What were you thinking about throughout the game? A: I don't think I was thinking any differently than any other game.
Q: What were you thinking about throughout the game? A: I don't think I was thinking any differently than any other game.
Jan. 1 it was 70 degrees in my hometown, and I was one of the many people spending the day outside.
Headed into the 2009 College Basketball Invitational, Richmond's postseason reward for an 18-15 season, then freshman forward Darrius Garrett was used but sparingly.
Temple University was introduced to University of Richmond's first-year starting forward Derrick Williams Saturday in the Robins Center, and Williams wasn't polite. In a game that the Spiders won with a dominating first-half performance, Williams was the catalyst, scoring 12 points and pulling down nine rebounds (five offensive) in the first half. "I think he was a little bit disappointed in his game against [the University of North Carolina at] Charlotte, and I think since then, he's been so focused and so energized," Richmond coach Chris Mooney said.
Seven seconds in, the tone of Wednesday night's game was already set: Rachael Bilney was going to shoot three-pointers, and she was going to make three-pointers. While it was raining outside the Robins Center, the University of Richmond starting guard poured in 32 points inside for the Spiders, 24 of which came from a school-record eight three-point field goals. Bilney's career-best scoring mark was also the most scored by any Richmond player this season, and it helped lead her team over Atlantic 10 Conference-foe George Washington University, 74-57. "I think Rachael really stepped up and basically said, 'We're not gonna lose this game,'" Richmond coach Michael Shafer said.
Richmond's women's basketball team enters conference play with one of the top records in the Atlantic 10 Conference, despite the odds being stacked against it. Having won six straight games, the Spiders look to continue their success at home Saturday night against Temple University in each team's A-10 opener.
The Atlantic 10 Conference, which began conference games Wednesday night, looks as if it will have several strong teams competing for the title, but the University of Richmond may not be one of them. The Spiders won the A-10 tournament last season, but lost its conference opener Wednesday, 75-70, to University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
With the start of 2012 only a few hours away, The Collegian took a look back at the top 11 stories of 2011.
After starting the year 6-2, Richmond men's basketball team began to show its youth in three-straight losses to small-conference opponents. In danger of falling to .500, the Spiders were able to eke out an overtime win, 90-82, at home over Old Dominion University on Tuesday.
Two-sport sophomore Becca Wann was named a first-team All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America this past weekend. Wann is one of just four sophomores on the 15-member team, which is composed of players from all over the country, and the only representative from the Atlantic-10 Conference. She is just the second women's soccer player from Richmond to receive the honor, the other being Jaclyn Raveia in 2000.
After losing to the University of Virginia Cavaliers, 69-56, the Spiders had a chance Saturday to redeem themselves in front of their home crowd, playing the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and they did just that, winning 75-60. While the Spiders led throughout the majority of the game and won every statistical category, they struggled early during the first half. The Spartans employed a full-court press and kept the game close, forcing five Richmond turnovers in the first nine minutes. "We weren't being very aggressive early on when the press was put on us," Spiders coach Michael Shafer said.
Two big scoring runs by Virginia Commonwealth University, one in each half, killed any chance the Spiders had at coming out victorious Friday night on their rival's home court. The Rams went on a 14-0 run midway through the first half and a 20-4 run towards the end of the second half after University of Richmond had pulled to within two points of the lead, 47-45. Richmond point guard Cedrick Lindsay's near-perfect night shooting wasn't enough to overcome his team's turnover and foul issues.
The main concern on everyone's minds at Wednesday evening's press conference introducing the University of Richmond's new head football coach was obvious, and understandable. After making his opening remarks, Danny Rocco, who was announced as Richmond's 35th football coach in school history, was hounded by questions regarding stability.
As if facing an Atlantic Coast Conference team wasn't tough enough, the University of Richmond women's basketball team had to do it hours after it was announced that two players, including the starting point guard, were leaving the team. Despite all that, the Spiders kept the University of Virginia Cavaliers, who defeated then No.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. ? The sluggish first half of Richmond's game against the University of Illinois seems like a distant memory.
Each time the University of Richmond football team took the field this season, the man who assembled it was absent. Instead of leading the team during an injury-filled 3-8 season, he watched or listened to the games on the radio. "I felt like I should have been there," said Latrell Scott, the former UR coach who resigned 10 days before the start of the season after getting arrested for a DWI.
Early season tournaments gave Richmond the opportunity to play high-quality teams in previous years, such as the University of Missouri and Purdue University.
It was a fitting end to the University of Richmond football's disappointing season. After overcoming a 19-11 deficit to begin the fourth quarter, the Spiders gave up a touchdown with two seconds remaining to give the College of William and Mary the victory, 25-23. The loss is Richmond's eighth straight to end its season, a season that began with a three wins that included a victory over FBS-foe Duke University. Spiders' fullback Kendall Gaskins paced his team's fourth-quarter comeback, finding the end zone twice in the final frame. William & Mary tailback Jonathan Grimes was the Tribe's main offensive threat, rushing for over 200 yards and and a touchdown. This story will be updated later with quotes. Contact staff writer David Weissman at david.weissman@richmond.edu
4th Quarter, 0:00- The Spiders' season comes to an end, as Corp's Hail Mary pass falls to the ground.
In previous years, with an offense centered around guard Brittani Shells, the University of Richmond women's basketball team may not have been able to win a game like Friday night's against Boston University. Guard Abby Oliver, who has taken over the role of leading scorer following the graduation of Shells, did not score until there was a little more than two minutes left in the game.