University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
South Carolina
South Carolina Breaks Away From Spiders
12/16/2009 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 16, 2009
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Richmond led by nine in the first half and was tied with South Carolina 52-52 with under eight minutes remaining, but the Gamecocks went on a 15-0 run over 3:40 to pull away for a 76-58 win Wednesday.
Richmond was up seven with 18:39 left in the half after a layup by Justin Harper (15 points) on an assist from senior guard David Gonzalvez, but on the next possession the Gamecocks pulled down an offensive rebound, Austin Steed made the putback and was fouled by Gonzalvez.
The foul was the fourth on Gonzalvez, sending him to the bench and the three-point play started a 10-0 run that put South Carolina in the lead. The Gamecocks (7-2) pushed that lead to seven with 13:49 left, but Richmond came back to tie the game at 48-48 with 10:49 to play.
The teams traded a pair of buckets, sitting in a 52-52 tie with under eight minutes left when Mississippi State erupted on a 15-0 run, including long three-pointers by Devan Downey and Ramon Galloway.
Richmond did close the gap to 11 on a three-pointer by Gonzalvez with 1:59 to play, but the Gamecocks added a few more buckets in the final minutes.
Harper's 15 points led four Spiders in double-figures. Junior Kevin Anderson had 12,, while Gonzalvez and senior Ryan Butler (7 rebounds) had 10 apiece.
Downey led the Gamecocks with 18 points, 13 of them coming in the second half. Sam Muldrow had 13 points and Johndre Jefferson had 12.
South Carolina shot 52.6 percent from the field in the second half, making 20-of-38 field goals in the second half as they poured in 52 points.
Richmond (7-3) will play another SEC team on Saturday, taking on No. 13 ranked Florida in the Orange Bowl Classic. The Spiders have split their first two games against SEC teams with a win over Mississippi State and a loss to South Carolina.
