Spiders Bite Wildcats
What a fun one that was! The Richmond Spiders (2-0) defeat the #10 Kentucky Wildcats (1-1) by a score of 76-64 today from Rupp Arena, their first ever win against an AP Top 10 team on the road. Despite a cold 1st half of shooting, Richmond only found themselves down by 4 at the break. The Spiders were led offensively by Nate Cayo once again who had a team high 18 points with 7 rebounds. Blake Francis did what shooters do, and that’s shoot the rock. He went 6-19 on the night with 18 points, including three big time 3 pointers. Richmond fought through foul trouble today as Matt Grace fouled out, while Golden had 4.
Energy
We’ve said it for a while now, but Tyler Burton is that guy who can come in and provide that much needed spark. With him now in the starting lineup, he brings that energy from the start. He played 26 minutes and finished with 11 points, including 4 rebounds and a block to his credit. Jacob Gilyard was once again all over the court, giving Richmond 6 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 steals on the day. Keep your eye out for the SportsCenter Top10 Plays to see one of his assists to Blake Francis. Despite getting outrebounded by 24, Richmond still seemed to maintain control of this one throughout. Kentucky did not hit a single 3 pointer as they went 0-10, forcing the Wildcats inside. Richmond has been picked as the favorite in the A10, and it was no surprise to those who keep track of the Atlantic 10 closely. This was a huge win for the conference as well. It put Richmond on the map as a true contender this season, and we can expect them to be ranked this week.
Road Ahead
Up next for Richmond is a date with the College of Charleston on Wednesday night at 7:00 in Charleston, SC. Richmond will host Furman from the SoCon on Saturday at the Robins Center concluding this week’s action. As always, be sure to follow @A10Talk on Twitter for the latest Atlantic 10 basketball news. We will see you on Wednesday night Spider Nation!
