Spiders win Atlantic 10 title over top-seeded Davidson by Two Points – Photos and Game Summary
The Richmond men’s basketball team outscored top-seed Davidson 7-0 over the final 70 seconds to win the Atlantic 10 Championship and advance to the NCAA Tournament Sunday at Capital One Arena.
The Richmond men’s basketball team outscored top-seed Davidson 7-0 over the final 70 seconds to win the Atlantic 10 Championship and advance to the NCAA Tournament Sunday at Capital One Arena.
“I’m thrilled and so happy for our team, all 20 players and the coaches and managers, but especially the six seniors who came back” said Richmond head coach Chris Mooney, referring to Jacob Gilyard, Grant Golden, Nathan Cayo, Nick Sherod, Jordan Gaitley, and Sullivan Kulju, who elected to use their additional year of COVID-19 eligibility to return to Richmond this offseason. “I think it’s such a unique story and will continue to be unique as college basketball trends toward so many transfers and guys changing teams, so I don’t think this story can be told enough. … For them to realize our dream of a championship today is very special and means a lot to me.”
Gilyard, a graduate student, led Richmond with 26 points and was selected as the A-10 Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after averaging 19.8 points and setting a tournament record with 16 steals while playing all 160 possible minutes in Richmond’s four games.
“Words can’t really describe what this game and this tournament mean to me, and I’d imagine it’s the same for the rest of our teammates. But to be able to do this with … guys that came in together and have been playing together for so long it just means the world to me. Those are my brothers.”
After a pair of free throws gave Davidson a 62-57 lead with 1:17 remaining, Tyler Burton made a layup and was fouled, with the free throw cutting Richmond’s deficit to 62-60. Burton missed a potential game-tying jump shot on the ensuing possession, but the ball deflected off Davidson and out of bounds.
Moments later, Spiders forward Matt Grace spun in the post and laid the ball up and in while being fouled, tying the score at 62 and sending the mostly Richmond crowd into hysterics. Grace made the free throw to complete the And-1 and give Richmond a 63-62 lead with 19 seconds left. “Big time. Incredible,” said Mooney of Grace’s go-ahead field goal.
Davidson missed a potential go-ahead three-pointer with five seconds left and fouled Gilyard with two seconds left on the clock. Gilyard made one of two from the free-throw line. After advancing the ball into the frontcourt with a baseball pass, Davidson called a timeout with less than two seconds on the clock. But Michael Jones’ corner three-pointer at the buzzer was well-contested by Andre Gustavson and fell short, giving Richmond the 64-62 win and earning the Spiders their 10th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.
The Spiders will face Iowa in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament Thursday in Buffalo, N.Y.
The Spiders came out quickly, opening the game on an 11-2 run, hitting five straight field goals at one point. Nathan Cayo scored four straight early on before guard Nick Sherod hit a runner forcing an early Davidson timeout. A bucket by Grant Golden stretched Richmond’s lead to 24-18, but the Wildcats responded with an 8-0 run including back-to-back 3-pointers and took a 26-25 lead into the locker room.
The Spiders scored the first six points after halftime to regain the lead and led by six when a three-pointer by Gilyard made it 34-28 with 17:03 to play. An 11-5 Davidson run tied the game at 39, and the Wildcats stretched their lead to seven midway through the second half on a three-pointer by Sam Mennenga to make the score 49-42.
Richmond scored the next seven points, tying the game at 49 with 7:40 remaining when Gilyard stripped Loyer near the baseline and raced the length of the court, laying the ball in and drawing the foul for a three-point play.
Davidson again responded, taking a five-point lead on a pair of Loyer free throws with 1:17 to go. Richmond outscored the Wildcats 7-0 over the remainder of the game to secures its second Atlantic 10 title and first since 2011, when Mooney and the Spiders advanced to the Sweet 16.
Tyler Burton was the only other Spider in double figures, finishing with 16 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Grant Golden had six points, two rebounds, and two assists and was named to the All-Tournament Team along with Gilyard.
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The Richmond Kickers (0-1-0) earned a hard-fought point on the road at fellow 2022 USL League One playoff team, Charlotte Independence (0-1-0), to open the 2023 USL League One season, Saturday night.
Akira Fitzgerald made history when he stepped out onto the pitch becoming the first player in league history to reach 100 regular-season appearances. The iron man between the pipes marked the occasion with his first clean sheet of the season.
In front of Fitzgerald was a Richmond backline that picked up where it left off last season when it conceded the second-fewest goals in the league. Despite Charlotte attempting 16 shots, the Kickers limited the Jacks to only four on target and Fitzgerald was there to keep the net clear.
Defense was a team effort for the Roos as midfielder Justin Sukow tied defender Michael Hornsby with four tackles won apiece which led the team.
Meanwhile, the Kickers dictated the flow of the match, earning nearly 56 percent possession.
Nil Vinyals delivered the Kickers’ best scoring opportunity of the match in the 22nd minute. Hornsby gathered the ball on the left wing before passing it off to the Spaniard who cut in toward the box. Vinyals darted through three defenders, running parallel to the goalline, before cutting a shot back towards the near post that required the Charlotte goalkeeper to make a diving save.
The Kickers return to RVA for a week of training before heading back to Greenville, S.C. to face Triumph SC for the second match of the season on March 25 at 7 p.m.
The Roos then prepare for their home opener at City Stadium on April 1 at 6 p.m. when they will host Independence for a rematch. It will be during the match against Independence that the Kickers will debut their 2023 primary jersey, The Red Night Kit.
Tickets for the match are still available but are selling fast. For a cost as low as $10 per match, Kickers fans can save the most with Season Tickets while unlocking exclusive perks and experiences. With one additional regular season match and two new opponents joining USL League One in 2023, City Stadium will be the place to be! Additional information can be found at richmondkickers.com/seasontickets.
Stay up to date with all of the Kickers news at RichmondKickers.com and on social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Download the Richmond Kickers mobile app for news, contests, and more!
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The short story: VCU trailed Dayton by as many as 11 points early in the second half before the Rams went on a 19-6 run and retook the lead at 49-47 on a Jalen DeLoach dunk with 11:09 left. VCU held onto its slim lead until the Rams closed the game on an 8-0 run, jumpstarted by a 3-pointer from Jamir Watkins, and clinched the A-10 Championship.
OPENING TIP
DeLoach, a sophomore, recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. He shot an efficient 5-of-8 from the floor. It’s his fifth double-double this season
Junior guard Ace Baldwin, Jr. had a team-high 16 points while adding seven assists
Redshirt sophomore Jamir Watkins had 13 points and eight rebounds, including going 3-of-4 from 3-point range
Dayton was led by DaRon Holmes II who had 28 points and 16 rebounds
THE DIFFERENCE
The Rams shot 47.3 percent from 3-point range (8-of-17) while limiting the Flyers to shoot just 13.6 percent (3-of-22)
VCU shot 46.2 percent overall from the floor and held Dayton to just 32.1 percent
The Black and Gold led in bench points 17-2 over the Flyers
VCU and Dayton traded blows early, with the Rams holding an 18-15 lead with 7:44 remaining in the first half
The Flyers answered back and retook the lead, extending it to to 36-28 on a Holmes II layup with 10 seconds left, but a pair of Baldwin Jr. free throws cut the deficit to 36-30 at the half
Dayton pushed its lead to 41-30, its largest of the game, with 18:59 left in the second half. The Rams immediately fought back with the 19-6 run. The Black and Gold eventually pushed the run to 30-13 overall to retake the lead at 60-54 on a DeLoach layup with 3:31 left
Dayton cut the deficit to 60-56 on its next possession but Watkins’ 3-pointer allowed the Rams to pull away for the win.
NOTABLE
VCU clinched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the 19th time in program history
The Rams won their second Atlantic 10 Tournament Championship and first since 2015. It’s the 10th overall tournament championship for the Rams
It will be the third NCAA Tournament appearance for VCU under Mike Rhoades
NEXT UP
Twelfth-seeded VCU will take on fifth-seeded St. Mary’s (Calif.) in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament on Friday, March 17 at MVP Arena in Albany, N.Y. The game will tip at 1 p.m. and be nationally televised on CBS.
The Rams (27-7) will be making their 19th all-time tournament appearance and return to the field of 68 following a one-year absence. VCU has reached the NCAA Tournament 13 times since 2004.
VCU punched its ticket via a 68-56 win over Dayton in the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship Game Sunday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The Rams have won nine straight games and 22 of their last 25 contests.
This will be the second all-time meeting between the Gaels and Rams, both in the NCAA Tournament. St. Mary’s topped VCU 85-77 in the 2017 NCAA Tournament in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Led by 22nd-year Head Coach Randy Bennett, the Gaels (26-7) tied for first in the West Coast Conference with Gonzaga. St. Mary’s fell in the WCC title game to the Bulldogs 77-51 on March 7. The Gaels boast WCC Defensive Player of the Year Logan Johnson, who averaged 14.7 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. The Gaels are ranked 16th in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the Coaches Poll.
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Score: No. 1 VCU 90, No. 4 Saint Louis 78 Location: Brooklyn, N.Y. (Barclays Center) Records: VCU 26-7, Saint Louis 21-12 Schedule Note:: Atlantic 10 Semifinals
The short story: VCU used a 23-5 run to start the second half, powered by 10 points from sophomore guard Jayden Nunn, to take a commanding 67-44 lead and advance to the Atlantic 10 Championship game.
OPENING TIP
Jayden Nunn led five Rams in double figures with game-high 18 points, shooting a blistering 7-of-9 from the floor and a perfect 3-of-3 from 3-point range
Junior guard Ace Baldwin, Jr. poured in 13 points while adding six assists and five rebounds
Redshirt sophomore Jamir Watkins had 15 points and five rebounds
Graduate Brandon Johns Jr. nearly had a double-double with 16 points and a game-high nine rebounds. He also tied a career-high with four steals and added three assists
The Billikens were led by Javon Pickett who had 18 points and three rebounds
THE DIFFERENCE
The Rams outscored the Billikens 24-16 in points off turnovers and 14-8 in second chance points.
VCU won the rebounding battle 37-30 and led in steals 10-5
VCU shot 55.7 percent from the floor and 47 percent from 3-point range. Saint Louis shot 49 percent from the floor and 45 percent from behind the arc
The Black and Gold were firing on all cylinders early, taking a commanding 31-16 lead on a David Shriver 3-pointer with 9:21 left before halftime
The Billikens responded with a 13-2 run to cut the lead to 33-29 with 4:41 left in the first half. The two teams went back-and-forth as VCU led 44-39 at the break
The Rams were blistering hot to start the second half, using the 24-5 run to push their lead to 67-44. Nunn hit two 3-pointers and had 10 points during the run
The Rams led by as many as 25 points but worked the clock to hold off Saint Louis for the win
NOTABLE
The 26 wins this season mark the most by VCU under Head Coach Mike Rhoades
The Rams reach their seventh A-10 Championship, the most appearances by any program in the league since 2012-13
VCU has never lost in the A-10 Semifinals, improving the mark to 7-0 all-time dating back to joining the league in 2012-13
VCU has won eight straight contests overall and the Rams haven’t lost a road or neutral site game since Jan. 4, now a 10-game streak
NEXT UP VCU will face the winner of No. 2 Dayton and No. 3 Fordham on Sunday, March 12. The game will tip at 1 p.m. and be nationally televised on CBS.
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