University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
Duquesne
T.J. Cline Makes History As Spiders Move To 7-2 In A-10
01/29/2017 | Men's Basketball
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. – Nearly a thousand different student-athletes have put on a Richmond basketball uniform since the beginning of the program dating back over 104 years.
After Saturday night, only one of them has ever recorded a triple-double, T.J. Cline.
Cline's historic night led the Spiders to a thrilling 101-90 victory over Duquesne to push Richmond's Atlantic 10 record to 7-2, the only team in the league with seven victories at this point in the season. The Plano, Texas native finished with 34 points on 11-of-15 shooting, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. He only had one turnover and did not commit a foul, while hitting a career-high 10 free throws.
“It was an incredibly exciting game. I give Duquesne plenty of credit for the way they played,” head coach Chris Mooney said. “T.J.'s performance was incredible. To have a triple-double at any level is impressive, and to only have one turnover and no fouls is just incredible.”
In addition to Cline's effort, classmate ShawnDre' Jones finished with 30 points and five assists and three rebounds. Jones and Cline's efforts marked the first time two Richmond players reached 30 points in a game in the Mooney era.
Sophomore Julius Johnson chipped in a career-high 16 points, including four three-pointers, while freshman Nick Sherod was the fourth Spider in double figures with 12 points and two rebounds on the night.
The Spiders, who rank in the top-10 nationally in assist rate, posted a season-high 24 assists. Richmond also tallied season highs in points (101) and three-pointers (13). It marked UR's first 100-point performance in A-10 play since 2012.
Offense was the name of the game from the tip with both teams combining for over 40 points in the first 10 minutes of the contest. Johnson's three-pointer with 14:24 to play in the first half gave Richmond its largest lead at 17-9 before Duquesne responded to get back within two.
Two buckets from Cline and an assist on a Sherod three-pointer quickly pushed the Spiders' lead to double-digits before the Dukes got hot and eventually grabbed their only lead of the half, which lasted under three minutes of playing time.
Five straight points by Jones to close out the half sent Richmond into the break with a 46-44 advantage.
The teams would trade baskets to start the second stanza, before Duquesne knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to spark an 8-0 run and grab its biggest lead of the game at 63-57 with 13:30 to play.
A three-pointer from Jones with just under nine minutes to play ignited an 8-0 run for the Spiders to claim a 76-71 lead with 7:11 remaining. It was a lead that Richmond would never relinquish.
That run would extend to a 17-4 run that pushed the Spiders' lead back to double-digits, where it would stay for most of the remaining part of the contest as Richmond pulled off the 101-90 victory.
The Spiders return to action when they travel across town to take on VCU in the annual crosstown rivalry. Game time at the Siegel Center is set for 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
