Spiders Clamp Down on Davidson, Improve To 3-1 In Atlantic 10

Tuesday, January 14

Davidson, NC

7:00 PM

University of Richmond

13-4,3-1Atlantic 10

Davidson

7-9,1-3Atlantic 10

Richmond

Davidson

Spiders Clamp Down on Davidson, Improve To 3-1 In Atlantic 10

01/14/2020 | Men's Basketball

Box Score AUDIO: Coach Mooney Postgame AUDIO: Jacob Gilyard Postgame

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. -- Defense travels.

Nick Sherod and Jacob Gilyard each hit four three-pointers and the Spiders defense held a pair of All-Conference guards in check for a second straight road game as Richmond defeated Davidson 70-64 on ESPNU Tuesday evening.

The Spiders swarming, switching defense limited Wildcats guards Jon Axel Gudmunsson and Kellan Grady, both Preseason First Team All-Conference selections in October, to just eight field goals on 27 shots from the field and forced Gudmunsson into six turnovers, tying his career high.

On offense, Sherod scored 18 points and Gilyard added 16 to pace the Spiders, who were missing leading-scorer Blake Francis due to a chest injury suffered in the final minutes against Saint Louis on Saturday. Andre Gustavson made his first start of the season in place of Francis.

Richmond wasted no time getting on the board, as Gilyard corralled the opening tip and found Nathan Cayo under the basket for a layup just five seconds into the game. Eight minutes into contest with the score tied at 13, Richmond put together a 12-2 run that started and ended with three-pointers from Gilyard and took a 25-15 lead with eight minutes to play in the half. Sherod scored the Spiders next eight points as they opened up a 13-point lead at 33-20 five minutes before halftime. But Richmond managed only a layup from Gustavson over the final five minutes of the half and allowed the Wildcats to creep within eight at halftime, 35-27.

A 7-0 run by Davidson just minutes into the second half narrowed the gap further, as a pair of Grady free throws made the score 39-36 Richmond four minutes into the second half. But the Spiders scored the next seven points to rebuild their cushion and broke the game open minutes later with a 10-0 run to go ahead 58-41 with eight minutes remaining. Davidson attempted to extend the game by sending the Spiders to the foul line, but Richmond was on target from the charity stripe all evening, finishing 15-16 on free throws in the 70-64 win.

The Spiders have won their first two conference road games for the fourth time since joining the A-10 in 2001. January 5th at Rhode Island, Richmond held Rams guards and Preseason All-Conference selections Jeff Dowtin and Fatts Russell to 16 total points and 6-26 shooting from the field.

Sherod added six rebounds to go with his 18 points, tied with the Cayo for the most boards by any Spider. Gilyard finished with 16 points, five rebounds, seven assists, and three steals while playing the full 40 minutes.

At 13-4, the Spiders have their best record through 17 games since the 2010-11 season, when they opened 13-4 on their way to a school-record 29 wins and a trip to the NCAA Sweet 16. With their 13th win of the season, the Spiders have also matched their win total from all of 2018-19.

Richmond's road trip will continue Saturday at George Mason. The game against the Patriots will tip at 2:30 PM and be broadcast nationally on NBC Sports Network.