Saturday’s A10 Women’s semifinals at the Henrico Sports & Events Center saw the higher seeds ‘hold serve’. Top seeded Richmond stopped Duquesne 80-66 while sixth seed Rhode Island held off seventh seed and defending champion Saint Louis.
Richmond 80 Duquesne 66
Possessions: 74
Offensive efficiency: Richmond 108. Duquesne 89
Four Factors:
| Richmond | Duquesne | |
| eFG Pct. | 55 | 46 |
| FT Rate | 31 | 10 |
| OREB Pct. | 26 | 29 |
| TO Rate | 18 | 17 |
Leading scorers:
Richmond- Addie Budnick 22 points
Duquesne- Ayanna Townsend 13 points
Records: Richmond (28-5, 16-2). Duquesne (20-12, 13-5)
Difference. Duquesne jumped out to an early ten point lead. Aaron Roussell’s Spiders maintained their poise and soon started to find the range from the perimeter. Their 55% effective field goal mark was due, in part, to a 36% showing from beyond the arc. Addie Budnick scored 18 of her game-high 22 points from long range. Senior guard Grace Townsend added 19 points (8 assists, 7 rebounds) as the Spiders showed excellent balance with five players in double figures. Playing their third game in three days, Dan Burt’s Dukes trailed 37-27 at the half. Whenever they made a second half run, The Spiders answered.
Rhode Island 68 Saint Louis 62
Possessions: 67
Offensive efficiency: Rhode Island 103, Saint Louis 93
Four Factors:
| Rhode Island | Saint Louis | |
| eFG Pct. | 54 | 44 |
| FT Rate | 42 | 32 |
| OREB Pct. | 44 | 26 |
| TO Rate | 21 | 20 |
Leading scorers:
Rhode Island- Dee Dee Davis 16 points
Saint Louis- Peyton Kennedy 16 points
Records: Rhode Island (21-13, 10-8), Saint Louis (16-18, 8-9)
Difference. Rhode Island held a 32-24 advantage in points in the paint and 18-11 off turnovers. The Rams also owned the boards by a 40-27 count, 14-9 on the offensive end. The Billikens were looking at a 39-23 halftime deficit. They ‘won’ the early minutes of the third period by a 7-2 count to stop the bleeding and gain momentum. It was a two possession game, in favor of Tammi Reiss’ Rams, as the contest entered the fourth period. Saint Louis showed resolve and fought gamely but Rebecca Tillett’s club was never able to draw even and gain a momentum advantage.
The championship. Top seed Richmond was set to face sixth seed Rhode Island for the championship on Sunday. Richmond, seeking their first A10 postseason title, is making their first A10 championship game appearance since 2009. Rhode Island is making their first trip to the final since 2003.
