Richmond 4-0 for 1st time since 1985

The Richmond Spiders are 4-0 for the first time since Coca-Cola released their new Coke formula. Richmond surges to victory thanks to a strong 2nd half, where they defeated the Cowboys of McNeese State 87-57.  The Spiders stayed hot offensively, in yet another lobsided victory.  Nick Sherod hit a team high 5 3’s, going 5-8 from 3 and tallying 17 points tonight.  Blake Francis also had a good shooting night, as he led the game with 20 points.  Jacob Gilyard recorded 15 points, as well as going 4-5 from 3.   Limiting touches to McNeese State’s leading scorer, Shamarkus Kennedy, was huge in the Spiders dominance.  Richmond held Kennedy to 8 points and only 7 boards.  The Cowboys only had 2 players in double figures, shutting them down in the 2nd half.

Spiders 3-point shooting

Richmond has been putting on a long range clinic lately, as they have hit 31 3’s over their past 2 games.  Postgame, I was able to ask Chris Mooney about his thoughts on their outstanding numbers from beyond the arc.  “If you make 16 3’s, you’re probably going to win games, and it happens very rarely”.  What stuck out to me about his answer, was that he was more impressed with the team’s overall ball movement leading to their 3 point success.  Good ball movement is evident due to the Spiders recording 22 assists on 31 made baskets.  Richmond is currently sitting at 46.1% from 3-point range, which is 2nd in the entire nation.  If the Spiders want to have success in Brooklyn not only this week, but also in March for the A-10 Tournament, they are going to rely heavily on their outside shooting.

What’s next?

The Spiders will head to Brooklyn, NY for a contest against Wisconsin at the Barclays Center on Monday night (7:00/ESPN2).  This will begin a tough stretch for Richmond, as they will have the Badgers, either Auburn or New Mexico on Tuesday, and will come home next Saturday for Boston College (2:30 NBCSN).  Richmond should have a lot to be excited about, as they have the opportunity for a huge victory on Monday night.  We will see you on Monday, Spider Nation!