Women's Basketball Upended by Richmond in Home Opener

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Albany, N.Y. – Sophomore guard Brittani Shells scored 16 points to pace four players in double figures as unbeaten Richmond upended women's basketball, 62-48, in the home opener on Saturday.

Richmond leaped to a 10-2 lead in the opening five minutes. Nikita Thomas, a 6-foot-2 junior, broke an early tie by scoring on the right baseline. Samantha Bilney and Johanna McKnight connected on back-to-back baskets following steals to end that stretch.

The Danes never found its rhythm on offense in the first half and committed 21 of a season-high 27 turnovers while shooting 4-of-18 from the field in the period. The Spiders, who are picked to finish fifth in the 16-team Colonial Athletic Association, took advantage by building a 28-13 lead at the intermission. Crystal Goring, a 6’3” senior who had eight points and eight rebounds, gave her team in its first double-figure margin of the half with a pair of free throws.

The Spiders, who opened with wins over Kennesaw State and George Mason, pushed their advantage to 38-21 with 13:23 remaining when freshman guard Abby Oliver, who had 10 points off the bench, canned a 19-footer from right of the key.

The Danes attempted to get back into the contest twice over the next five minutes. Sophomore guard Janea Aiken converted a conventional three-point play when she was fouled on a left baseline drive that sliced the deficit to 38-28. However, Shells drilled a three-pointer to stave off that spurt. Aiken later completed a fastbreak with a 3-pointer that got the lead down to 10 again. But Shells, a preseason All-CAA selection who added three assists and three steals, answered once more when she stroked a 3-point shot from the left corner off a skip pass.

“We were nervous and indecisive in the first half,” said UAlbany coach Trina Patterson, whose team shot 38.5 percent for the game. “We are trying to find our identity as a young team. Richmond has athletic post play and not a lot of weaknesses. When we had three or four people touch the ball we got good looks.”

Thomas finished with 12 points for the Spiders, who have won all four meetings in this series. McKnight, a member of the CAA’s all-defensive team, had 10 points and three steals. UAlbany’s Tiffanie Johnson totaled 11 points and seven rebounds, while Britney McGee scored 10.

“We came out not as confident,” explained Aiken, whose team had won five of its previous six home debuts. “We had unforced turnovers where we threw the ball out of bounds or were not paying attention. It’s a situation where we don’t know our roles yet. We calmed down in the second half and took our time.”