Richmond Picks up 22nd Victory
Richmond, VA —
The now 22-7 Richmond Spiders defeated the Massachusetts Minutemen 95-71 in front of a sellout crowd at the Robins Center. Everything seemed to go Richmond’s way, and that started early on. The Spiders were able to quickly get out to a 16-5 lead and never looked back. This was one of the most balanced offensive games that Richmond has had all season. They finished the game with 5 players in double figures. Grant Golden (13), Nick Sherod (16), Jacob Gilyard (10), Blake Francis (20), & Nathan Cayo (14) were all forces to be reckoned with in this one. The most impressive had to be Nathan Cayo in my opinion. He has been quiet lately, but broke that spell tonight. He will be huge as the Spiders wrap up conference play next week and head to Brooklyn.
Locking Down on Defense
Richmond did an excellent job of not allowing freshman sensation, Tre Mitchell, get many open looks. He finished the game with 18 points, but it didn’t seem to matter. Massachusetts shot 26-63 (41%) on the evening, and only scored 30 in the paint. The theme all season has been that the Spiders lock down on guys that burnt them in the past, but Chris Mooney made sure Tre Mitchell didn’t get a chance to do that. In the only meeting between these 2 teams, Richmond proved that they belong at the top of this conference. Richmond also won the rebounding battle, grabbing 41 compared to UMass’ 26.
Getting Good Looks
Richmond finished with 18 assists on 32 made baskets, proving how well they can move the ball. Nick Sherod shot a blistering 6-6 finishing with his 16 points, and was really showing some confidence. We might have to start calling for “Sherod Flexes” as well. The Spiders knocked down 10 3 pointers tonight, and didn’t seem to force anything. Jacob Gilyard finished the night with 4 steals, breaking his personal record of 90 in a season. Grant Golden won tonight’s battle against Tre Mitchell on both sides of the ball. Grant wasted no time taking it right to Tre, and did so throughout. Experience was evident in this one, and that’s a major reason why the Spiders played as well as they did.
Closing Conference Play
Richmond will host Davidson on Tuesday night (7:00) before hitting the road and taking on Duquesne in Pittsburgh on Friday. These 2 games will weight heavily on A-10 Tournament seeding, therefore Richmond doesn’t get the opportunity to take their foot off the throttle. As always, stay up to date on all things Richmond basketball on Twitter at @AustinDaisey11 & @A10Talk. We will see you Tuesday night Spider Nation!