Valiant Comeback Effort Falls Short at Richmond, 62-58

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Massachusetts	13	15	10	20	58
Richmond	10	21	16	15	62

Massachusetts

Richmond

RICHMOND, Va. – University of Massachusetts women's basketball waged a furious rally effort, but the Minutewomen could not get any closer than two points late as the squad fell to Richmond, 62-58, on Sunday at the Robins Center. The loss drops the Maroon and White to 11-11 overall this season and 3-5 in the Atlantic 10, while Richmond improves to 6-15 and 3-5 in the league.

Junior Vashnie Perry led the Minutewomen with 11 points on the day on 4-of-9 from the field, while freshman Destiney Philoxy put down 10 of her own and handed out four assists. Three Massachusetts players in sophomore Bre Hampton-Bey, junior Hailey Leidel and senior Genesis Rivera had seven rebounds each.

The Minutewomen appeared destined to complete the fourth quarter comeback, initially trailing by nine in the final two minutes, 30 seconds of regulation. Hampton-Bey knocked down a pair of free throws before Leidel put down a trey, moving the score to 57-53 with 1:10 left. After the sides traded points from the charity stripe, Rivera made a three of her own with 30 seconds left and the score at 60-58.

With UMass set to foul, Richmond's Daijia Ruffin split a trip to the line, but on the ensuing trip up the floor a game-tying three-point attempt by UMass would not fall as the contest wound to a close.

Perry sparked Massachusetts to an early nine-point first quarter lead on the strength of three consecutive triples, a 9-0 individual run. After the Spiders struck first with a Jaide Hinds-Clarke hook shot, Perry connected on back-to-back treys in the left corner before hitting from the right wing with 6:59 on the clock. But the Spiders would answer early in the second stanza with a 14-3 sequence that gave the home squad a lead of nine. The Minutewomen would chip away heading into halftime before narrowing the deficit to 31-28 at the break.

Off the bench, Philoxy was 6-of-8 on free throws, giving the freshman a new career-high for makes at the line.

For Richmond, Hinds-Clarke had a double-double with a game-high 15 points plus 11 rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Two other Spiders in Ruffin (15) and Alex Parson (13) contributed double-figure scoring performances.

Four days separate Massachusetts from its next matchup, a Thu., Feb. 7 home game against Duquesne. Opening tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Mullins Center.

Follow UMass women's basketball on Twitter (@UMassWBB), Instagram (UMassWBB) and Facebook (UMass Women's Basketball) for the latest news and updates around the program.

Scoreboard

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Players Mentioned

Bre Hampton-Bey

Hailey Leidel

Vashnie Perry

Destiney Philoxy

Genesis Rivera

Team Stats

Perry Vashnie

Philoxy Destiney

Rivera Genesis

Leidel Hailey