Deep Struggles Lead To Spiders Loss at Alabama

Sunday, December 29

Tuscaloosa, AL

6:30 PM

University of Richmond

Alabama

12/29/2019 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Despite a flawless performance off the bench by sophomore guard Jake Wojcik, Richmond was outdueled from deep by Alabama on Sunday, falling to the Crimson Tide 90-78 in the final game of the the Spiders non-conference schedule. Wojcik made all four of his three-point attempts, but the rest of the Spiders were a combined 2-20 from behind the arc in the loss, Richmond's second straight following a 10-1 start.

"We're a good shooting team but we didn't shoot it well," said coach Chris Mooney. "Part of it is Alabama's defense. You're shooting it a split second earlier or a foot-and-a-half farther back than you normally do."

The Spiders started the game executing inside the three-point line, as Richmond opened 5-8 from the field – with all eight shots all from two-point range – to build a 10-5 lead four minutes into the game.

Alabama responded with an 11-0 stretch that included a trio of three-pointers by Jaden Shackelford and led by nine at 38-29 with three minutes to play in the first half. Richmond closed the gap to one with an 8-0 run before another Shackelford three-pointer gave the Tide some breathing room. Following a layup by Blake Francis, the Spiders forced a turnover 11 seconds before halftime and took over with a chance to cut further into Alabama's advantage. On the ensuing possession, Tyler Burton missed a corner three-pointer before getting his own rebound and getting the ball to Francis, who missed a three-pointer from near the top of the key as time expired. Richmond trailed 43-39 at halftime after hitting on just two of its nine three-pointers in the first half.

"At the end of the first half we closed the gap and had a really nice possession," said Mooney. "Missed a three. Got an offensive rebound. Missed another one. That was a little bit the story of our day. To win a road game at Alabama, we're going to have to shoot well."

With the exception of Wojcik, Richmond's poor shooting continued in the second half, as the Spiders converted on just 12 of their 35 field goals attempts (4-15 from three-point range) over the final 20 minutes. That performance kept the Spiders from catching the Tide, who went 7-11 from three-point range after halftime.

Wojcik finished with 17 points on 5-5 shooting from the field, including 4-4 on three-pointers. He was the first Spider to shoot 4-4 or better from three-point range since March 4, 2017, when De'Monte Buckingham went 4-4 from deep against Saint Louis. Wojcik's 17 points were the most scored by a Spiders bench player this season.

Jacob Gilyard led the Spiders with 21 points, the 16^th 20-point game of his career. He also led Richmond in assists (four) and steals (three) while going 5-10 from the field. Gilyard now has 223 career steals, tied with Tony Dobbins for second-most in school history and just four behind record-holder Greg Beckwith.

Grant Golden finished with a team-high 11 rebounds to go along with his 14 points for his 13^th career double-double. It was the fifth straight game Golden has recorded at least seven rebounds, the longest streak of his career.

The Spiders finished the non-conference portion of their schedule with a 10-3 record, the most wins they've had before the start of conference play since 2013-14 (also 10). Richmond will begin its Atlantic 10 schedule Thursday at the Robins Center against Saint Joseph's. Tip time is 7 PM and the game will be shown on NBC Sports Washington.