University of Richmond Athletics
Men's Basketball GameDay Central - Saint Joseph's
01/13/2017 | Men's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA - Richmond (10-6, 4-0) looks to continue its momentum with a game at Saint Joseph's (8-7, 2-2) on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Network.
The Spiders are off to their first 4-0 start in conference play since 1991-92, when Richmond was a member of the CAA. The last time that Richmond started 5-0 in conference play was 1988-89 when UR went started 8-0 under Coach Dick Tarrant.
The Spiders have dished over 20 assists in each of the last three games. UR now leads the Atlantic 10 with 16.8 assists per contest.
Richmond has shot 53.6 percent from the field in conference play which leads the league by over 30 percentage points. UR has averaged 10 threes a game in A-10 play, good for second in the league.
De'Monte Buckingham was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week after averaging 19.0 ppg and shooting 75 percent from the field last week. He then tallied his first double-double with 18 points and a career-high 13 rebounds against SBU.
The game will air on NBC Sports Network and online through the NBC Sports app. Steve Schlanger and Dave Kaplan will be on the call.
The game will also be on the radio on ESPN 950 AM and 107.3 BBT FM and streaming on RichmondSpiders.com. It will also be on Sirius Ch. 113 and XM Radio 204. Bob Black and Greg Beckwith will call the action over the radio airwaves.
| 2016-17 SPIDER MEN'S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY CENTRAL - SAINT JOSEPH'S |
|
| Who | Richmond Spiders (10-6, 4-0) at Saint Joseph's Hawks (8-7, 2-2) |
| When | Saturday, Jan. 13, 12:30 p.m. |
| Where | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| Venue | Hagan Arena (4,200) |
| TV | NBC Sports Network | Watch Online |
| On Air | Steve Schlanger, Dave Kaplan |
| Radio | ESPN 950 AM | 107.3 BBT FM | Sirius 113 XM Radio 204 | RichmondSpiders.com |
| On Air | Bob Black, Greg Beckwith |
| Live Stats | Click Here |
| Game Notes | Notes |
Scouting Saint Joseph's
The Hawks have a 2-2 record in A-10 play and are playing without star player Shavar Newkirk who is out for the season after averaging 20.3 points through 12 games. James Demery has returned to the lineup and averaged 16.0 points and 6.4 rebounds in five contests.
The Hawks average 71.2 points per game and shoot 43.4 percent from the field. They only allow 11.7 turnovers per game.
Series vs. Saint Joseph's
The Hawks lead the all-time series with Richmond, 16-8. Saint Joe's won a tight game in the Robins Center last year with DeAndre' Bembry hitting a game winner. The Spiders won the previous two meetings, including a 63-57 win at Hagan Arena two seasons ago.
White-Hot Shooting
After going 2-23 from three at Oral Roberts, the Spiders have found their range in conference play. UR leads the A-10 at 53.6 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from three. The Spiders have averaged 10 threes per game and scored 79.2 points per game in league play.
Assist To...
The Spiders have always run an offense with constant motion and crisp passes that lead to shots in rhythm. Richmond is at its best when every player on the court is setting up someone else for a shot.
This year, the Spiders lead the league in assists (16.8) and in assist-turnover ratio (1.4). Richmond has dished more assists than the opponent in 13 of the season's 116 games.
Richmond has been particularly good with its ball movement in conference play. The Spiders have averaged a league-best 21.0 assists per game and assisted on 70.5 percent of made field goals in league play.
All of Richmond's top six players have at least 16 assists.
Defensive Stand
Richmond's defense was its catalyst in taking down St. Bonaventure on Wednesday night. The Spiders held the league's top offense to 20 points under its season average. UR held SBU scoreless for a seven minute stretch at the end of the first half to go on an 11-0 run and bring the game back within reach. Richmond also won the rebounding battle over one of the league's top offensive rebounding squads.
Buck's Breakout
De'Monte Buckingham has been a beast with seven straight double-digit scoring games since the Texas Tech contest. He's started the last six games and averaged 15.6 ppg since Texas Tech.
He was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week after his career-high 22 point performance against Fordham, and his perfect 7-of-7 shooting game at George Washington. He then followed that up on Wednesday with his first career double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds.
Buckingham's 17.8 points per game in A-10 play ranks fourth in the league and is the most among any freshman.
UR's most recent high-scoring freshman was Kendall Anthony who averaged 13.4 ppg in conference play in 2011-12.
Cline Named Senior CLASS Award Candidate
T.J. Cline was named one of 30 national candidates for the Senior CLASS Award, given to a player that exemplifies leadership, community service, academic excellence and athletic success. The award will name the 10 finalists in February.
P-R-A Machine
T.J. Cline is currently averaging 17.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.
Cline is the only player in the NCAA to post his current averages in points, rebounds and assists. He has more assists than any player in the country his height or taller.
A preseason All-A-10 First Teamer, Cline has won two Player of the Week awards and currently ranks eighth in the league in points, fourth in rebounds and third in assists.
With his 7.1 defensive rebounds per game, Cline ranks 34th in the country. Charles Stephens (1997-98) was the last Spider to average over eight rebounds a game for an entire season (8.3).
Cline nearly tallied a triple-double against Maryland, scoring 18 points with nine rebounds and nine assists. He then went for 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists at Davidson. No player has recorded a triple-double in Richmond spider history.
Start With Four W's
Richmond has never started 4-0 in Atlantic 10 play since joining the league in 2001-02. UR's last 4-0 conference start came in 1991-92 under head coach Dick Tarrant. Richmond has not started 5-0 since 1988-89 when UR opened CAA play at 8-0.
Cline Locks In From FT Line
T.J. Cline currently leads the team in FT percentage at 79.7 percent. He has hit a team-high 55 free throws and is shooting 19-21 from the line during the last five minutes of games.
Play Big Lil' Guy
With freshman C/F Grant Golden going down with a heart issue and senior F Marshall Wood contracting mononucleosis, the Spiders have had to go small in three straight wins. 6-8 Kwesi Abakah and 6-10 Paul Friendshuh have averaged just 3.8 combined minutes in those games, while the rest of the time, UR featured just one player (Cline) taller than 6-4 on the court.
Need The Three
Richmond's offense has always been predicated on using the three-pointer as a weapon. After a 2-23 long-range shooting performance at ORU, Richmond bounced back to hit 40 threes over the next four games, shooting 44.4 percent from long range.
Richmond is 10-3 when hitting six or more threes in a contest.
Climbing The Record Books
ShawnDre' Jones and T.J. Cline continue to climb Richmond's all-time record book.
Jones and Cline both have 1,286 career points and rank 23rd all-time at UR.
Adding his points from his freshman year at Niagara, Cline has totaled 1,548 career points.
Jones also moved into seventh place all-time with 190 career three-pointers.
