Men's Basketball Post-Game Notes - University of Richmond Athletics

Dec. 5, 2005

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Richmond held Louisville to 53 points, which is the lowest-point total for a Rick Pitino coached Cardinal team in Freedom Hall.

Fifty-three points is tied for the second lowest point total for the Cardinals in the past four seasons and tied for the fourth-lowest in Pitino's five years at Louisville. The Cardinals scored 53 points in a 53-44 win at Memphis on Feb. 26 last season and were held to 50 points on two occasions during Pitino's first season at Louisville in 2001-02.

The last time Louisville scored less points in a game in Freedom Hall was on Feb. 3, 2001 when Saint Louis held a Denny Crum-coached Louisville team to 51 points.

Richmond held its seventh-straight opponent to under 60 points, the longest such stretch since the 2001-02 team also held seven-consecutive opponents under 60. The last time Richmond held eight-straight opponents to under 60 points was in the 1946-47 season.

The Spiders led for the first 32:33 of the game, by as many as 10 points twice - in the first half (19-9) and in the second half (32-22) - but a banked 3-pointer by Taquan Dean gave Louisville its first lead (41-39) with 7:26 to play. Richmond trailed by just four points (49-45) with 36 seconds left.

Louisville was the second Big East opponent Richmond played in five days. The Spiders led by as many as 23 points in defeating Seton Hall 60-49 on Thursday in the Robins Center.

A victory over Louisville would have given the upset prone Spiders their fourth upset on a nationally ranked team's home court in the last four seasons. Richmond won at No. 10 Kansas in 2004, along with picking up victories at No. 17 Stanford in 2002 and at No. 21 Xavier in 2003.

Richmond held Louisville to just two fast break points, coming on a goal-tending call in the second half.

The Spiders tied a season-high with seven blocks and five of them came on shots by Taquan Dean. Senior Kevin Steenberge tied a career-high with five, including the 100th of his career coming on a 3-point attempt by Taquan Dean in the second half. Steenberge is currently fourth all-time with 101 blocks. Junior Gaston Moliva had two blocks, which gives him 82 on his career, good for eighth on the school's all-time list.

Taquan Dean had five shots blocked on the night, including four by Steenberge.

Richmond shot a season-best 41.2 percent from 3-point land. Senior Kevin Steenberge made a career-high three 3-pointers, all coming in the first 10:12 of the game. He had never made a 3-pointer before this season and now has six on the year, all coming in the last five games.

Senior Jermaine Bucknor connected on two 3-pointers giving him multiple treys in six of seven games this season and 11 of his last 12 dating back to last year. Bucknor scored 10 points against Louisville, putting him in double-figures for the ninth time in his last 10 games.

The Louisville contest concluded Richmond's most rigorous stretch of games since 1920, as the Spiders played four games in five days. The Spiders went 3-2 on the stretch.

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