RICHMOND, Va. (Interstat) — The Richmond Spiders, fueled by a dominant first-quarter offensive explosion and a game-high 20 points from Alicia Newell, avenged an earlier season loss to Rhode Island with a commanding 72-46 victory in an Atlantic 10 women’s basketball game Wednesday night at Robins Center.

The game, played before a crowd of 1,944, was effectively decided in the opening period. Richmond raced out to a 27-9 lead, connecting on five 3-pointers and shooting a blistering 64% from the field in the quarter. Newell, a 5-foot-9 guard from Clinton, Maryland, set the tone early, hitting three of those first-quarter threes and finishing the night with 31 minutes of action.

Rhode Island, which entered the contest with a sterling 24-3 record and had defeated Richmond 73-61 on Dec. 30, had no answer for the Spiders’ initial onslaught. The Rams struggled offensively throughout, managing only six points in the fourth quarter and shooting just 28.6% from the field for the game.

The most critical phase of the contest was not just the first-quarter surge, but Richmond’s immediate response to Rhode Island’s lone push. After being held to just five points in the second quarter, the Spiders saw their 18-point halftime lead trimmed to 13 early in the third. Rhode Island’s Sophia Vital opened the second-half scoring with a three-pointer, making the score 35-22.

Richmond, however, extinguished any hope of a comeback with a decisive 14-2 run over the next four minutes. The Spiders’ ball movement was impeccable, with Maggie Doogan and Ally Sweeney orchestrating the offense. The run was capped by back-to-back three-pointers from Sam Dewey and Newell, pushing the lead back to 25 points at 49-24 and effectively sealing the outcome.

Doogan, a 6-foot-2 sophomore from Broomall, Pennsylvania, was instrumental in the win, posting 13 points, six assists and five rebounds. Sweeney, a 5-foot-6 guard from Sparta, New Jersey, added 11 points and a game-high seven assists. Dewey, from Melrose, Massachusetts, contributed 12 points, all from beyond the arc, and Rachel Ullstrom of Auburn, Massachusetts, chipped in 10 points.

Rhode Island was led by Ines Debroise of Paris, France, and Sophia Vital of Cambridge, Massachusetts, who each scored seven points. The Rams’ offense never found a consistent rhythm, hampered by 15 turnovers and a 4-for-24 performance from three-point range.

With the win, Richmond improved to 24-6 overall and strengthened its position in the conference standings. The Spiders’ defense was particularly stifling, holding a Rhode Island team that averaged over 68 points per game to a season-low output. The Rams fell to 24-4, suffering their second loss in three games after a 13-game winning streak was snapped last week.

Both teams return to action Saturday. Rhode Island will host George Washington, while Richmond travels to face Saint Joseph’s.