University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
Saint Joseph's
Red-Hot Spiders Improve To 5-0 In A-10 With 70-66 Win at SJU
01/14/2017 | Men's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA – The Atlantic 10's national profile has risen to new heights over the past decade. It is largely recognized among the top non-BCS conferences in the country. To go 5-0 in league games in the A-10 is no easy feat.
That's exactly what the Richmond men's basketball team (11-6, 5-0) did on Saturday, pulling out a 70-66 win in a tough environment at Saint Joseph's (8-8, 2-3). The Spiders are now just one of five teams in the past decade to start 5-0 or better in Atlantic 10 play.
Seniors ShawnDre' Jones and T.J. Cline led the way for Richmond, combining for 36 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. Jones led all scorers with 21 points on 6-of-11 from the field, including a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. Cline finished just one assist away from the school's first-ever triple-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
Freshman De'Monte Buckingham scored in double figures for the eighth straight game with 12 points and chipped in seven rebounds. Sophomore Khwan Fore was the fourth Spider in double-figures with 12 points and also grabbed six rebounds and two steals.
The teams started the afternoon by trading baskets before SJU took a four-point lead, the largest they would hold all day long.
Jones ignited things for Richmond with five straight points to spark a 14-4 run capped off by five straight points from Buckingham to give the Spiders a 26-20 advantage, a lead in which they would never relinquish.
SJU would get Richmond's lead to one, but the Spiders finished the first half on a 12-0 run, highlighted by three three-pointers to send Richmond into the break with a 41-28 cushion.
That run reached 17-0 with the Spiders scoring the first five points of the second half to push their lead to 46-28 with 19:07 to play.
In typical A-10 conference game fashion, it wouldn't be easy with the Hawks chipping away, eventually getting the Richmond lead down to one with under two minutes to play, but the Spiders defense locked down, allowing only two more points, while Jones and Julius Johnson stepped up and knocked down their free-throws to secure the 70-66 victory.
Richmond returns to the road next Thursday when they travel to perennial A-10 power Dayton for a nationally televised contest. Game time on ESPNU is set for 7 p.m.
