University of Richmond Athletics
Men's Basketball GAMEDAY: La Salle
02/04/2015 | Men's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA - Coming off a statement win at crosstown rival VCU, the Richmond Spiders (12-9, 5-3) look to build on their momentum with a tough road test at La Salle (12-9, 4-4).
The teams will play in the featured A-10 game on Thursday night with a 6:30 p.m. start on NBC Sports Network.
Richmond enters on a hot streak, having won five of the last seven games with an average scoring margin of +12.7 over that stretch. La Salle has won two in a row, including a win over St. Bonaventure in the Explorers' last time out.
On Saturday, UR went across town and snapped No. 14 VCU's 12-game win streak. It marked the 11th win over a ranked opponent since 2008 for the Richmond Spiders. Senior Kendall Anthony displayed yet another gutsy performance, scoring 20 second-half points to finish with 22 for the game. He tied a career high with six assists and helped Richmond beat VCU's full-court pressure defense. Anthony went 9-of-11 from the free throw line in the second half and hit a big three-pointer late that silenced the Ram faithful. Richmond used an 18-2 run spanning the halves to overcome an 11-point deficit.
Thursday marks the sixth time in the last two months that Richmond will be playing before a national TV audience. The NBC Sports Network broadcast will be anchored by Mike Corey and Dalen Cuff, and will also be available on the NBC Sports Live Extra portal. The game will be on the radio on ESPN 950 AM and 93.1 HANK FM with Bob Black and Greg Beckwith on headset. Sirius channel 84 and XM radio channel 84 will also pick up the radio broadcast. The audio will be streamed for free on RichmondSpiders.com.
| 2014-15 SPIDER MEN'S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY CENTRAL - LA SALLE |
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| Who | Richmond Spiders (12-9, 5-3) at La Salle Explorers (12-9, 4-4) |
| When | Thursday, Feb. 5, 6:30 p.m. |
| Where | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| Venue | Tom Gola Arena (3,400) |
| Live Video | NBC Sports Network | NBC Sports Live Extra |
| On Air | Mike Corey, Dalen Cuff |
| Radio | ESPN 950 AM | 93.1 HANK FM | Sirius Ch. 84 | XM Radio 84 | RichmondSpiders.com |
| On Air | Bob Black, Greg Beckwith |
| Live Stats | Click Here |
| Game Notes | Notes |
Opening Tip
Richmond went 5-3 in January with a +9.4 scoring margin and wins over #14 VCU and Davidson. UR shot 48.6% from the field and averaged 71.4 points per game. The Spiders averaged 15.4 assists on 24.5 field goals per game.
Senior Kendall Anthony earned A-10 Player of the Week honors after his 22-point performance at VCU. It was Anthony's third weekly award in his career and the first for Richmond this season.
The Spiders continue to be one of the nation's best teams in protecting the ball. Averaging just 9.9 turnovers a game, that trend held up against VCU's havoc when the Spiders surrendered just 12 turnovers, the second-fewest against VCU this year.
Scouting La Salle
La Salle is currently on a two-game winning streak after defeating Saint Joseph's and St. Bonaventure. The Explorers also sport a home win over George Washington.
They rank fifth in the league in scoring defense (60.7) and fourth in opposing field goal percentage (41.6). Jordan Price has averaged 16.1 points per game with a team-high 50 assists. Jerrell Wright has 11.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest.
Series vs. La Salle
This game marks the 30th meeting between the Explorers and Spiders with Richmond holding a 15-14 edge in the all-time series.
The Spiders won a big home game against La Salle last season, 62-49, led by Terry Allen's then-career-best performance. UR's last win at La Salle came in 2011 (87-68) after the Explorers won home games in 2012 and 2013.
Anthony Named A-10 Player of the Week
Kendall Anthony was been named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Week, the conference announced Monday morning.
Anthony led the Spiders to a 2-0 week, capped by a thunderous 64-55 victory at No. 14 VCU on Saturday afternoon. Richmond's win snapped VCU's 12-game winning streak as the Spiders became just the second team to win at the Siegel Center since January of 2013.
A native of Jackson, Tenn., Anthony finished with 22 points, including 20 in the second half. He went 9-of-11 from the free throw line and tied his career high with 6 assists. Anthony was the point man in dismantling VCU's full-court pressure as the Spiders' 12 turnovers were the second-fewest against the Rams all season.
On Wednesday night, Anthony scored 16 points in just 26 minutes in a runaway win over Duquesne. He hit four threes and grabbed three boards in the win.
The award is the first weekly honor for Richmond this season and the third Player of the Week honor of his career. He was named Preseason All-Atlantic 10 First Team back in October.
VCU Statement
Richmond made a national statement with its win over No. 14 VCU on the road on Saturday. The Spiders were featured as Andy Katz' team of the week on ESPN.com and Kendall Anthony received written accolades from writers around the country along with the A-10 Player of the Week award.
The Spiders snapped VCU's 12-game winning streak and tallied their 11th win over a ranked team since 2008. Richmond became the first A-10 team to win at the Siegel Center since January of 2013.
Schedule Still Strong
The Spiders have played one of the nation's toughest schedules, especially on the road. With La Salle coming up, eight of Richmond's nine road games will have come against teams in the RPI Top 100, including seven against top 50 teams. Richmond has a SOS of 10 according to ESPN.
On the road, UR has a scoring margin of -4.9 with six games decided by six or less.
Spiders Heating Up In A-10 Play
Richmond has played very well, especially offensively, in 2015. The Spiders have dominated at home in conference play and played the A-10's top teams on the road very closely.
Over the last seven games, UR has averaged 72.0 ppg with a scoring margin of +12.7. UR is shooting 49.0 percent from the floor while holding opponents to just 41.0 percent.
In five of the last seven games, UR has had four players in double figures. Against Davidson, three players scored 20 points for the first time this century
In conference-only stats, the Spiders rank third in scoring offense (71.4), fifth in scoring defense (62.0), second in scoring margin (+9.4), second in FG pct (48.6), first in FT pct (80.1), second in 3PT FG pct (39.1), third in assists (15.4), first in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6), second in turnover margin (+2.25) and second in threes made (8.3).
Protecting The Rock
Richmond has been very protective of the ball this season with a stellar backcourt and skilled frontcourt that rarely turns it over. Richmond currently leads the A-10 and ranks seventh in the country for fewest turnovers with 9.9 per game.
The Spiders only committed four turnovers against Northeastern, the best mark since 3/14/13 when Richmond had a three-turnover game against Charlotte. Richmond followed that up with just five turnovers at Davidson, eight against George Mason and six against Davidson again. Although 12 turnovers were high by Richmond standards, they were the second-fewest against a VCU squad that prides itself on getting steals.
When Richmond does turn the ball over, they often do it in dead ball situations. UR only allows 10.2 points per game off turnovers and just 4.2 fastbreak points.
Free Throws Coming In Hot
Richmond went 20-23 from the line, including 12-12 in the final five minutes, in the win over George Mason on 1/8. The Spiders then went 18-22 from the line in the second half to seal a win at VCU. UR is averaging 14.1 made FTs per game in conference play and now rank second in the A-10 with a 72.9 team percentage.
Junior Terry Allen ranks third in the conference with his 83.6 mark, the best of any forward in the A-10.
Alonzo Nelson-Ododa has drastically improved his FT shooting after under 55 percent through his first two seasons. He now ranks fourth with an 82.1 mark. Kendall Anthony is fifth in the conference at 81.6.
Richmond is the only team with three players in the top 10 in FT percentage.
The Spiders have been clutch at the end of games, hitting 79.6 percent of their free throws in the final five minutes of regulation and overtime. UR went 10-of-12 over that stretch to seal a huge road win at VCU.
Need a Hot Start
Like nearly every team, Richmond strives for a hot shooting start, especially on the road. In the last four home wins, UR has averaged six threes in the first half and a halftime margin of +15.0. However, in the last three road losses, UR has hit just 2.3 first-half threes and a halftime margin of -10.0.
The Spiders turned that scenario around at VCU. Despite just two first-half threes and a six-point halftime deficit, UR started the second half hot and pulled out a win.
It was Richmond's first win after trailing at half this season. UR is 11-2 when leading at the break.
