Richmond remains unbeaten
Now that was fun. First off, I want to start off and talk about the fans perspective on this one. This was one of those games that you love and hate at the same time. The kind of game where you feel like you may get sick due to anxiety of what’s unfolding on the court, or because you ate a bad arena hot dog. Either way, this game was awesome. Richmond defeated Vanderbilt 93-92 in OT, which is the Spiders 2nd consecutive overtime game. Just like everybody predicted, Andre Gustavson was the hero tonight for the Spiders. Andre had the opportunity off of a Vanderbilt turnover to win it at the buzzer with a dunk that hit off the back iron. There was mass chaos and confusion in the Robins Center as it appeared he was fouled, but you couldn’t hear a whistle. Scottie Pippen Jr. fouled Gustavson with 0.6 seconds to play. Andre, with ice in his veins, hit the first FT giving Richmond the lead. He missed the 2nd one and time expired and the Spiders are now 2-0.
Spiders starters led the charge
Jacob Gilyard led the scoring charge for the Spiders as he scored 26 points, but more importantly, he tallied 7 steals. Two other Spiders scored 20+ points, and that was Blake Francis with 24, and Nathan Cayo with 20. Blake Francis went down hard in OT and it appeared to be his knee that was bothering him. You could’ve heard a pen drop in the arena as he was down and being tended to by the medical staff as well as Chris Mooney. He did end up returning with what appeared to be no physical limitations.
Richmond Bench
If the Spiders want to make a run in conference play, they are going to have to get more out of their bench. A total of 3 bench points were scored tonight, all by Andre Gustavson. If Mooney can get the bench going, I can see Richmond having a very good season, but as of now, this is a major issue.
What’s Next?
Richmond’s next game will be on Sunday, November 17 vs CSU Northridge (0-3) at 4:00 at the Robins Center. I will be there covering this one, so be sure to follow along on Twitter at @AustinDaisey11 and of course, @A10Talk.