Coming off a hot start, UR women's basketball hosts No. 6 Texas on Sunday
When University of Richmond women’s basketball coach Aaron Roussell relayed to his players the prospect of adding some of the top programs in the country to the Spiders’ 2024-25 schedule, they immediately expressed their desire to make it happen.
“We kind of maybe leaked the opportunities that we have coming up to our team while we were still making the decision of whether or not to do it, and hands down, they were all like, ‘Please, Coach, we want this, we want to have this experience,’” Roussell said.
That lean-in head first mentality has worked well for UR so far this year.
It worked well when the Spiders took down Temple University to open their season, it worked well when they picked up a win over Big 12 opponent Oklahoma State University in the Daytona Beach Classic last month, and it’s what UR will channel as it heads into three-straight matchups against power-five programs in the University of Texas, the University of Tennessee and the University of Alabama.
“People talk about us struggling to find games,” Roussell said. “There ain’t nobody out there that wanted to play these three teams that we’ve got coming up.”
These matchups will not only serve as an opportunity for the 9-1 Spiders to close out their non-conference schedule against some top-tier opponents, Roussell said, but as a chance to potentially continue to build their resume, whether it be for seeding or for selection purposes.
UR has received votes in the Associated Press top-25 poll for four weeks running, in addition to being named in the top-30 in the first two iterations of the NET rankings.
“I mean, we try not to think about it too much 'cause we’re just trying to focus on one game at a time, but it’s definitely really cool to be recognized at a national level and kind of prove that we can compete with these bigger teams and we deserve to be here,” said junior forward Maggie Doogan.
Doogan has been one of the Spiders’ backbones through the first 10 games of the season, though UR’s scoring has been well-balanced as a result of the team’s depth.
Following a first-team all-conference selection last season, Doogan is averaging 15 points per game and was named the A-10 Player of the Week on Monday for her efforts last week against Georgetown University and Columbia University.
“When we are at our best and [Doogan] is at her best, it’s making plays for others, too, whether that’s rebounding, whether that’s putting the ball on the floor and getting shots for somebody else,” Roussell said. “You see what she’s done in the scoring column here the last few weeks, but I think equally as important is the times that she’s gotten shots for other people and the bigger rebounding games, too.”
Junior guard Rachel Ullstrom has been another bright spot for the Spiders, only further punctuating the team’s top-to-bottom depth.
Ullstrom averaged 11.2 points per game off the bench last season and took home A-10 Sixth Woman of the Year. This season, she’s made a seamless transition from the Spiders’ first substitute to one of their bonafide scorers. As a starter, Ullstrom is averaging 16.2 points per game.
“We’re unselfish so we know it doesn’t matter who’s scoring one night, but if it’s [Ullstrom’s] scoring night, somebody else is gonna find other ways to impact the game,” Doogan said. “I think that just makes our team really unique.”
This is UR’s best start to a season since 2008 when the Spiders also won their first eight games in a row. Back during the 2004-05 season, the Spiders started 9-0 and 14-1 through their first 15 games.
UR’s lone blemish on its record so far this season came against Georgetown in a 55-53 loss on Dec. 4 to end an eight-game winning streak. A bounce-back win against Columbia at the Henrico Sports and Events Center this past Sunday, however, put any thought of a possible losing streak to rest.
“I don’t know what I thought our record would be through 10 games, but to be at 9-1 with the schedule that we put in front of these guys is really a testament to them and something we have to feel good about,” Roussell said.
Last year, the Spiders won the A-10 Championship and secured a spot in the 2024 NCAA Tournament – something they’ll be vying for again come this March. It would be UR’s first time qualifying for the Big Dance in back-to-back years since the Spiders did so in 1990 and 1991.
Doogan said hopefully last year’s feat was not just a once-in-a-lifetime moment but something they can replicate.
The Spiders will tip-off against the Longhorns, who currently hold the No. 6 ranking in the country, at the Robins Center at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
