Spiders Drop Season-Opener To Delaware, 76-63

Friday, November 10

Robins Center

7:00 PM

University of Richmond

0-1

Delaware

1-0

DELAWARE

RICHMOND

11/10/2017 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Coach Mooney Postgame Buckingham and Sherod Postgame

A strong second-half performance wasn't enough to erase a sluggish start as the Spiders fell to the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens, 76-63, in their season opener at the Robins Center Friday night.

A sold-out crowd greeted the Spiders, who opened a season without a senior in the starting lineup for the first time since 1999, but it was clear from the opening tip that Delaware wasn't going to be easily effected by the hostile environment. The Fightin' Blue Hens made 21 of 28 field goals in the first half en route to building a lead that ballooned to as many as 33 and settled to 29 at halftime.

Full-court pressure, a pumped-up crowd, and a fantastic performance by freshman Jacob Gilyard allowed the Spiders to chop the deficit to single digits in the second half, but Delaware regained control in the final minutes to hold on for the win.

Sophomore De'Monte Buckingham scored a team-high 18 points for Richmond and added six rebounds, tied with redshirt freshman Grant Golden for the team lead. Golden, in his first game since undergoing a heart procedure last December, added six points and a career-best two blocks.

Buckingham teamed with Gilyard to score the Spiders final 16 points. Gilyard scored all eight of the Spiders points on an 8-0 run that made the score Delaware 67, Richmond 58 with 2:08 remaining - the closest the Spiders would get in the second half. 15 of Gilyard's 17 points came after halftime as he joined Kendall Anthony (20 in 2011) as the only Spiders freshmen to score at least 17 points in a season opener over the last 20 seasons.

Richmond returns to the court on Monday, November 13 against Jacksonville State, a 100-42 winner over Tennessee Wesleyan Friday evening.