Ally Sweeney scored a career-high 27 points and Maggie Doogan recorded a double-double as Richmond defeated Virginia Commonwealth 77-65 in an Atlantic 10 women’s basketball matchup Sunday afternoon at the Siegel Center.

Doogan finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds for her 19th career double-double, while Rachel Ullstrom added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Spiders (18-4, 8-1). Richmond shot 53.1% from the field and went 17-of-18 at the free throw line, extending its winning streak to seven straight against VCU and earning its sixth consecutive victory at the Siegel Center. 

Katarina Kneževic led the Rams (8-17, 4-7) with a career-high 22 points and five rebounds. Cyriah Griffin added 17 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter. VCU forced 17 turnovers and scored 16 points off those miscues but was unable to overcome Richmond’s efficiency and late-game execution. 

The Spiders jumped out to an early lead and held a 19-15 advantage after the first quarter. Richmond extended the margin to 38-25 by halftime behind Doogan’s work inside and steady perimeter shooting. 

VCU made a push in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 44-38 on a Kneževic 3-pointer with 4:45 remaining, but Richmond responded with a 12-2 run to close the period and take a 56-40 lead into the fourth. 

The Rams outscored Richmond 22-21 in the final quarter, but Sweeney took control down the stretch, scoring 14 of her points in the final 10 minutes as the Spiders maintained a double-digit cushion. 

The game was played in front of a reported crowd of 5,373 — the third-largest women’s basketball attendance in Siegel Center history — as part of VCU’s annual SupportHER game, an initiative designed to promote women’s sports while benefiting several Richmond-area organizations through ticket fundraising. 

Richmond never trailed and led for 37:55. The Spiders also won the rebounding battle 32- 30 and finished with 13 second-chance points. 

VCU’s loss came on a day meant to highlight support for women’s sports, a contrast underscored by the program’s announcement of a coaching change.

Ed McLaughlin, the university’s vice president and director of athletics, said Monday that Beth O’Boyle will not coach for the remainder of the 2025-26 season and will not return to the program. 

“We want to thank Coach O’Boyle for her service to VCU and her dedication to our student-athletes. We will not renew her contract and she will not coach the remainder of the season. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors. We will begin a national search immediately,” McLaughlin said. 

Assistant coach Kirk Crawford will serve as interim coach for the rest of the season. 

O’Boyle compiled a 191-168 record in 12 seasons at VCU after being hired in April 2014. The Rams reached the NCAA Tournament once during her tenure, winning the Atlantic 10 championship in 2021. She was the program’s winningest women’s hoops coach. 

VCU is scheduled to travel to Loyola Chicago on Saturday.

VCU’s women’s basketball head coach Beth O’Boyle coaches during the third annual SupportHER game against Richmond at the Siegel Center on Sunday, Feb. 1; she was fired the following Monday and replaced. (Julianne Tripp Hillian/Richmond Free Press)