RICHMOND, Va. - The Patriots women's basketball dropped a conference matchup to Richmond, 88-86. The game was played in an almost empty arena due to a water crisis in the arena.
The Patriots came out the gates firing, putting up 28 points in the first quarter. 12 of those points came from
Kennedy Harris, who finished the night with 26 points on 60% shooting.
Richmond controlled the second quarter, going 12-13 from the floor including six three pointers. The Patriots put up 17 points of their own, but at a 58.3% rate. At the half, the Spiders led 49-45. Both teams average under 60 points a game from their opponents, so this score line was a high indicator that this game was anything but business as usual.
In the second half, the Patriots found their groove again and Richmond cooled off a little. Harris continued to shine, but some big shots from
Paula Suárez and
Zahirah Walton helped put the Patriots within two going in to the fourth quarter.
In the final ten minutes, there were eight lead changes and four ties. Huge three-pointers from Harris and Suárez, as well as some key free throws from Walton and
Nalani Kaysia helped tie the game with just over a minute left. Both teams battled back and forth, but a layup from the Spiders with just over a second left was the final blow. The Patriots ran a play to tie the game up, but couldn't finish the bucket as the final buzzer blew.
PATRIOT POINTS
- Sophomore Kennedy Harris finished with 26 points at a 60% clip, including 4-6 from behind the arc
- Senior Paula Suárez had 13 points and a career-high tying 8 assists
- Junior Zahirah Walton put up 19 points
- The Patriots shot 50.8% from the floor and 52.9% from three
- They forced Richmond to turn the ball over 19 times, and capitalized on those to produce 31 points
UP NEXT
The Patriots will head north to Rhode Island where they'll take on the Rams on Sunday, Jan. 12. Tip-off is set for 12 p.m. at the Thomas M. Ryan Center with broadcasts available on CBS Sports Network and GoMason Digital.
