University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
Rhode Island
Surging Spiders Grind Out Road Win At Rhody, Move Into A-10 First-Place Tie
02/10/2010 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 10, 2010
KINSTON, R.I. - David Gonzalvez scored a game-high 19 points, and Richmond won a critical Atlantic 10 showdown at Rhode Island, 69-67, Wednesday night. Their fifth-straight win moved the surging Spiders into a tie for first in the A-10 with six regular-season games remaining.
Thanks to Richmond's victory and a win by Dayton over Charlotte, the Spiders return to the Capital City tied atop the conference standings with the 49ers and Xavier.
Continuing to bolster its postseason resume, Richmond (19-6, 8-2) throttled No. 17 Temple last Saturday and has won five-consecutive, seven of eight and 12 of 15. Rhode Island, which entered the game ranked 14th in the RPI, slipped to 19-4, 7-3 with just its second home loss of the season (10-2).
Gonzalvez poured in his 19 on seven-of-12 shooting from the field and knocked down three-of-four long-range attempts, including a clutch 23-footer that gave the Spiders the lead for good at 67-66 with 1:22 to play.
A Kevin Anderson lay-up made it a three-point game with 23 seconds and Richmond survived after Rhode Island's Stevie Mejia missed the back-end of bonus free throws with five seconds left and Keith Cothran's game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer fell short after the ensuing offensive rebound.
Dan Geriot came up big for the Spiders, knocking down five of his seven shots - including both three-pointers - and finishing with 12 points and five rebounds in the winning effort.
With the snow flying outside URI's Ryan Center, Richmond was frigid at the start and missed three field goals and committed two turnovers in the game's first three minutes as the homestanding Rams rolled up a 9-0 lead.
Anderson, who finished with 16 points, broke the ice for the Spiders by nailing a jumper at the 17:02 mark. The A-10 Player of the Year candidate drilled another jumper two possessions later and the visitors were off on a 20-10 run that consumed the next 10 minutes.
In an eerily similar way the Spiders seized their game-clinching lead - a Gonzalvez three assisted by Kevin Smith - they took their first lead when the senior's trey made it 20-19 with 7:04 left in the first.
Smith sparked the Spiders with 23 clutch minutes off the bench, finishing with six points (three-of-three shooting) and five assists.
Silencing a raucous near-capacity crowd of 7,109, Richmond took a 32-28 lead into halftime, and expanded that margin to as many as eight in the second-half when Anderson's three made it 51-43 with 12:06 left.
But the Rams were not finished and after Geriot's three made it 60-54 Spiders with 6:05 left, URI embarked on an 11-0 run over the next three minutes and opened a five-point advantage when Meija converted the old-fashioned three-point play at the 3:03 mark -- its first lead since 19-17.
Showing the poise of a veteran ball club, Richmond answered on the next possession when Smith's layup cut the lead to three and a pair of Gonzalvez free throws after he ripped down a defensive rebound made it a one-point game.
Delroy James made one of two at the free-throw line for URI with 1:42 left, but Gonzalvez's long-distance dagger followed 20 seconds later.
James and Cothran each scored 11 for Rhode Island, while Orion Outerbridge came off the bench and knocked down six of his seven shots to lead the club with 12 points.
Richmond continues on the road Saturday at St. Bonaventure (2 p.m. on CBS College Sports Regional) before hosting Fordham and George Washington at the Robins Center next week.
