FARMVILLE, Va. – The Atlantic 10's No. 2 scoring team flexed its offensive muscle throughout, as Richmond rode 24 points from Siobhan Ryan and produced four double-digit scorers to dispatch Longwood 83-70 Tuesday evening in Willett Hall.
 
The sophomore Ryan entered the game averaging 9.2 points per game and ended it with a career high on 9-of-16 shooting in her 30 minutes of action. Joining her in double figures were fellow guard Kate Klimkiewicz, who scored 19, Richmond's leading scorer Addie Budnik, who contributed 11, and forward Emma Squires, who chipped in 10 points off the bench.
 
That effort was enough to outpace another standout offensive night from reigning Big South Defensive Player of the Year and All-Big South first-team forward Akila Smith, who led Longwood with 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Smith and junior guard Anne-Hamilton LeRoy took over for Longwood (3-7) after halftime, combining for 26 points in the final two periods, but the Spiders' 40-29 halftime lead proved too much to overcome.

"First, credit to Richmond. I thought they really came out and did what they do," said Longwood head coach Rebecca Tillett. "We tried to disrupt that, and in a lot of ways we did—forcing 24 turnovers—but they love to shoot that three, and they hit enough of them to stay around their average.
 
"In terms of us, we showed our signature fight that people are used to seeing. We were down by a large margin and then just refused to let it stay in that place, which our women are known for. We put pressure on Richmond to make good plays down the stretch to win it, which they did."
 
LeRoy and Smith helped Longwood keep pace after halftime, matching Richmond (6-4) in the third quarter with 26 points and grinding to a 17-15 deficit in the fourth quarter. LeRoy scored 11 of her 14 points during a 14-0 run in the third quarter that trimmed a 60-37 to 10 points, and Longwood eventually trimmed that to single digits early in the fourth quarter.

"We knew that the schedule would be tough," said Smith after hitting double figures for the eighth time this season. "We're getting prepared for conference. That's what Coach Tillett is having us keep in mind. We keep learning throughout these games. It was good to be back in Willett even though we didn't get the win. We're still learning every game. That's what's important."

"We have big goals in conference play," Tillett said of the tough non-conference slate that has featured four teams that qualified for the NCAA tournament a season ago. "We finished third last year, and we talk a lot about going from 11^th to eighth to third place, but going from third to first is the most difficult jump you have to make. We'll find out in the end if it was a good idea or not, but I do think that we have learned from each one of these and that we're going to be really, really prepared when we get into conference play."

However, the Spiders did just enough to keep the Lancers at bay, killing that momentum with back-to-back three-pointers from Ryan and Klimkiewicz that pushed the lead to double digits the rest of the way.

The loss comes in Longwood's first home game in nearly a month and opens a two-game homestand, which continues this Saturday against American. That matchup against the Eagles will be the Lancers' final non-conference bout before the start of their 18-game Big South gauntlet. Tip is set for 3 p.m., and it will be Cerebral Palsy Awareness Night in Willett Hall.

"I'm looking forward to that game against American, and I'm excited to honor Justin Ratanataya, our student assistant coach and learn more about cerebral palsy," Tillett said.
 
#HorsePower​