University of Richmond
Va Commonwealth
Men's Basketball Falls to VCU, 65-54
12/01/2001 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 1, 2001
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. --The University of Richmond's best start in eleven years came to end Saturday night in front of a crowd of 5,775 as cross-town rival VCU registered a 65-54 win at the Robins Center. The Spiders drop to 3-1 on the season, while the Rams improve to 5-2. Richmond shot 22.7 percent (15-of-66) from the field, a Robins Center record for worst field goal percentage.
VCU guard Willie Taylor's jumper less than four minutes into the contest capped off a 7-0 Rams run, as the visitors led from the opening tip to the final horn. Richmond sophomore guard Mike Skrocki's (Howell, N.J./Christian Brothers) three-pointer at the 12:07 mark would pull the Spiders to within four (14-10), the closest they would get the entire contest. Richmond would miss its next 18 straight shots and not score another field goal until senior guard Scott Ungerer (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill) connected on a triple with :11 remaining in the first stanza. VCU led 33-17 at the half as the Spiders shot a dismal 15.2 percent from the field.
Richmond's shooting woes continued in the second half, as the Spiders went six and half minutes into the second stanza without recording a single field goal. A Richmond three-pointer from junior guard Reggie Brown (Flushing, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) with 7:49 remaining would pull the home team to within eight, 48-40. The Rams, however would have a response as Taylor connected on his third trey of the game to push the lead back to double digits.
VCU's Willie Taylor scored a game-high 23 points while teammate Domonic Jones registered 17 points. The Spiders were led in scoring by sophomore forward Tony Dobbins (Mitchellville, Md./Va. Tech) who registered his second consecutve "double-double", scoring 16 points and snaring a season-best 16 rebounds. Ungerer contributed 15 points and 12 rebounds while junior Eric Zwayer had 12 points for the Spiders in a losing effort.
The Spiders entertain Mississippi State Wednesday, December 5 at the Robins Center. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.
