Richmond Spiders
Atlantic-10 (22-8, 9-5)
Hopes were that Richmond would have a stronger season this year following an 18-12 campaign and a first-round loss in the women’s NIT last March. The Spiders wanted some improvement and they got it, but they lost to Charlotte in the last game of the regular season and to St. Joseph’s in the first round of the Atlantic-10 tournament. A couple of ill-timed losses harmed the Spiders’ chances for an NCAA tournament bid, but a 22 win season is good enough for the NIT.
Big Wins: 12/20 Liberty (66-54), 12/29 James Madison (74-66), 2/4 Saint Joseph’s (78-59)
Bad Losses: 1/7 Temple (56-55), 2/15 at Xavier (76-60), 2/26 at Charlotte (62-77)
Coach: Michael Shafer (7 seasons at Richmond)
Why They Can Surprise:
Strong perimeter shooting has helped the Spiders make a run in many games this season, guided by the 1-2 punch of Abby Oliver and Rachael Bilney. The two shooters combined for 109 of the team’s 156 3-pointers this season, and the Spiders shot 39 percent overall from 3-point range. Four shooters, including Oliver, Bilney, Genevieve Okoro and Becca Wann, have 100 or more baskets. Wann, in particular, is a hot shooter (51.3 percent from field-goal range) despite not taking too many threes. A trio of double-digit scorers is led by Oliver’s 16.5 points per game, with Bilney and Okoro also above 10 points a game. Free-throw shooting is also strong. Bilney and Oliver combined to miss just 15 of the 165 free-throw attempts taken during the season.
Why They Can Disappoint:
While the number is not alarmingly high, Richmond turns the ball over (512) more often than it dishes the ball out (467 assists). A team’s assist-to-turnover ratio is always called into attention if it is under 1.0 and especially if it is in negative range, and the Spiders are below zero. The team also has strong scoring, with three over 10 points per game, but it drops off fairly fast after that. Richmond has only played two games on neutral courts and is 1-1 in those contests. The more alarming stat comes with the 76-60 loss to Xavier. The Musketeers were one of the A-10’s disappointments, finishing the season with an 8-20 record. The other losses are to the A-10’s stronger teams or teams in the major conferences like the Atlantic Coast Conference, but if a team like Richmond can’t beat a lesser light in its own conference that is a major danger signal.
Probable Starters:
Abby Oliver, Senior, Guard, 16.5 ppg, 2.4 apg
Rachael Bilney, Junior, Guard, 11.7 ppg, 2.8 apg
Becca Wann, Sophomore, Guard, 8.8 ppg, 3.0 apg, 6.4 rpg
Samantha Bilney, Junior, Forward, 2.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg
Liz Brown, Freshman, Forward, 6.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Genevieve Okoro, Sophomore, Forward, 10.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg
Kristina King, Sophomore, Guard, 4.8 ppg, 1.6 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 68.2 (65th in nation, 3rd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 59.7 (128, 6)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.9 (17, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 38.5 (158, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.3 (122, 4)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 39.7 (1, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 80.8 (2, 1)
Rebound Margin: 3.9 (66, 4)
Assists Per Game: 15.7 (24, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 17.2 (163, 9)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
Richmond 2011 NIT Round of 64 loss to North Carolina Wilmington
Richmond 2010 NIT Round of 64 win over Delaware
Richmond 2010 NIT Round of 32 loss to Syracuse
Richmond 2009 NIT Second Round win over James Madison
Richmond 2009 NIT Third Round loss to Georgetown
Richmond 2005 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Florida State
Richmond 2004 NIT First Round win over South Florida
Richmond 2004 NIT Second Round win over Florida State
Richmond 2004 NIT Third Round win over Western Michigan
Richmond 2004 NIT Semifinal loss to Creighton
*all team stats through 3/4
See All Women’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
