Penn-Richmond Box Score (PDF)
RICHMOND, VA. – The University of Pennsylvania (4-4) women's basketball team won a thriller over the University of Richmond (4-5), 47-44, on Saturday afternoon in Virginia.
Michelle Nwokedi's last-second block neutralized Richmond's comeback attempt and sealed the win for the Quakers. The junior forward registered her fifth double-double of the season including a career-high 20 rebounds to go with her 21 points. She also had five blocked shots, four assists and a steal to lead the Red and Blue.
"We came out hard and played really hard together and never let up," said Nwokedi. "The biggest thing for me is to stay composed, let the game come to me, get in a good flow and get my teammates involved. I think it's a great win because we learned how to close out a close game."
Sydney Stipanovich added 15 points and eight boards while Anna Ross, Kasey Chambers and Lauren Whitlatch combined for nine points, eight rebounds and three assists. Richmond was led by Jaide Hinds-Clarke's 14 points and three rebounds while the Quakers kept Richmond's leading scorer, Janelle Hubbard, who came into the contest averaging 16.1 points per game, without a basket.
The Quakers outrebounded their foes by a 44-39 margin and led by as much as 14 in the contest heading into the third quarter, but a 12-0 run by the Spiders made it a one-possession game for most of the fourth frame. The final quarter was a nail-biter, as neither team led by more than three points and there were four lead changes and six ties.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Penn held a healthy advantage in the first half, but the second quarter was where the Quakers did their damage. Nwokedi hit all four of Penn field goals in the stanza and added in another seven rebounds to register a double-double by the end of the half. The Quakers were bolstered by a 15-7 advantage in rebounds in the period, while the Spiders went cold from the field going 0-for-13 and scoreless for nearly six minutes as Penn took a 21-12 lead into intermission. Richmond put up just 12 points and shot just 11 percent in the first half.
Penn started the second half similar to how they ended the first sparked by a 5-0 run from a Whitlatch trey and Stipanovich layup to give the Quakers their biggest lead of the game at 14 with 8:01 on the clock, but the Spiders countered with a 12-0 run of their own to take a one point advantage at 27-26 with 2:54 left in the period. By the end of the quarter, Penn held a 32-29 lead.
The fourth marked a back-and-forth affair where neither team had more than a one possession advantage and the score was tied on six separate occasions. With 1:21 on the clock, Richmond went up one at 44-43, but a foul on Chambers sent the senior to the charity stripe where she connected on both attempts to tip the board 45-44 in Penn's favor. Nwokedi connected from a Stipanovich assist in the paint to put Penn up 47-44, and two blocks by Nwokedi in the final seconds sealed the win in favor of the Red and Blue.
UP NEXT
The Quakers have a three-week layoff before returning to action for a West Coast swing to bookend the New Year. Penn will travel to CSU Northridge on Saturday, Dec. 31 and take on UC Riverside on Jan. 2.
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