University of Richmond Athletics
Sunday, November 29
Lexington, KY
1:00 PM
University of Richmond
2-0,0-0Atlantic 10
76
at
64
Kentucky
1-1,0-0SEC
1
2
F
Richmond
28
48
76
Kentucky
32
32
64
Photo by: Mark Cornelison
Spiders Make Statement, Pull Away From #10 Kentucky
11/29/2020 | Men's Basketball
LEXINGTON, KY – An early season test on the road at No. 10 Kentucky would seem to be a tall task in just the second game of the season but not for the experienced University of Richmond men's basketball team as the Spiders shook off a four-point halftime deficit and pulled away from the Wildcats for a 76-64 win at Rupp Arena Sunday.
The Spiders outscored Kentucky 48-32 in the second half to secure the first road win vs an AP top-10 team in program history. With the win, Chris Mooney has now beaten a power-conference opponent in 14 of his 16 seasons at Richmond.
"This was a tremendous win for us. I feel like the whole game we were very good defensively," said Mooney. "We didn't have a good rhythm in the first half, which is unusual for us. We were able to find a much better rhythm in the second half and with that comes the ability to make shots. When we made shots we were able to pull away."
The Spiders (2-0) were paced once again by forward Nathan Cayo (Montreal, Quebec) who tied for the team lead with 18 points. Cayo connected on 8-of-13 from the field while pulling down six boards. In his first two games this year, he is averaging 20.5 points per game and shooting 78.3 percent (18-of-23) from the field. For his efforts, Cayo was named the Bluegrass Showcase Most Valuable Player in the three-team field.
"Nate has improved dramatically since his freshman year," said Mooney. "He's a really difficult player for other teams to defend. He was pretty much unguardable in this tournament. I am really proud of him and he deserves every bit of it because he's worked very hard."
Senior Blake Francis (Herndon, Va.) also scored a team-high 18 points, adding three three-pointers, three rebounds, three steals and two assists.
Grant Golden (Winchester, Va.) and Tyler Burton (Uxbridge, Mass.) each scored in double-figures for Richmond. Golden added 13 points, seven boards and five assists. He moves to 13th in program history with 1,501 points and was named to the All-Tournament team after scoring 29 in the two Spider victories. Senior Jacob Gilyard (Kansas City, Mo.) led the team with six assists and five steals, almost all coming in the second half.
After shooting 28.6 percent (10-of-35) from the field in the first half, the Spiders regrouped to heat up in the second half, going 19-of-32 from the field and shooting 59.4 percent. Richmond pressured Kentucky throughout, forcing the Wildcats into 21 turnovers while only committing 10 as a team.
The Spiders battled through foul trouble for most of the first half and weathered a slow start shooting, only trailing 32-28 at the break. Richmond started to roll early in the second half, posting a 9-0 run taking a 39-36 lead as Burton scored seven of the nine points in the run, including a three-pointer giving the Spiders the lead.
Richmond broke the game open with a 12-2 run taking a 58-46 lead at the 7:43 mark of the second half. Francis hit his first three-pointer of the game extending the Spiders lead to seven before the Spiders defense forced back-to-back turnovers. Gilyard scored first in transition before Golden nailed a three-pointer of his own taking the lead to double figures.
The Spiders would extend their lead to as many as 16 points down the stretch as Matt Grace (Hamilton, Ontario) nailed a three-pointer off a drive and dish from Gilyard. Cayo put the exclamation point on the victory with a thunderous dunk over two Kentucky defenders sending.
A youthful Kentucky (1-1) squad went to the free-throw line 33 times (20 makes) in the loss. Brandon Boston, Jr. led all scorers with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Oliver Sarr chipped in 17 points and 11 rebounds. Terrence Clarke had 15 points and six rebounds as Isaiah Jackson had 14 boards.
The Spiders return to action on Wednesday, Dec. 2, against the College of Charleston at TD Arena. Tip is set for 7 p.m. in Charleston, S.C.
--UR--
The Spiders outscored Kentucky 48-32 in the second half to secure the first road win vs an AP top-10 team in program history. With the win, Chris Mooney has now beaten a power-conference opponent in 14 of his 16 seasons at Richmond.
"This was a tremendous win for us. I feel like the whole game we were very good defensively," said Mooney. "We didn't have a good rhythm in the first half, which is unusual for us. We were able to find a much better rhythm in the second half and with that comes the ability to make shots. When we made shots we were able to pull away."
The Spiders (2-0) were paced once again by forward Nathan Cayo (Montreal, Quebec) who tied for the team lead with 18 points. Cayo connected on 8-of-13 from the field while pulling down six boards. In his first two games this year, he is averaging 20.5 points per game and shooting 78.3 percent (18-of-23) from the field. For his efforts, Cayo was named the Bluegrass Showcase Most Valuable Player in the three-team field.
"Nate has improved dramatically since his freshman year," said Mooney. "He's a really difficult player for other teams to defend. He was pretty much unguardable in this tournament. I am really proud of him and he deserves every bit of it because he's worked very hard."
Senior Blake Francis (Herndon, Va.) also scored a team-high 18 points, adding three three-pointers, three rebounds, three steals and two assists.
Grant Golden (Winchester, Va.) and Tyler Burton (Uxbridge, Mass.) each scored in double-figures for Richmond. Golden added 13 points, seven boards and five assists. He moves to 13th in program history with 1,501 points and was named to the All-Tournament team after scoring 29 in the two Spider victories. Senior Jacob Gilyard (Kansas City, Mo.) led the team with six assists and five steals, almost all coming in the second half.
After shooting 28.6 percent (10-of-35) from the field in the first half, the Spiders regrouped to heat up in the second half, going 19-of-32 from the field and shooting 59.4 percent. Richmond pressured Kentucky throughout, forcing the Wildcats into 21 turnovers while only committing 10 as a team.
The Spiders battled through foul trouble for most of the first half and weathered a slow start shooting, only trailing 32-28 at the break. Richmond started to roll early in the second half, posting a 9-0 run taking a 39-36 lead as Burton scored seven of the nine points in the run, including a three-pointer giving the Spiders the lead.
Richmond broke the game open with a 12-2 run taking a 58-46 lead at the 7:43 mark of the second half. Francis hit his first three-pointer of the game extending the Spiders lead to seven before the Spiders defense forced back-to-back turnovers. Gilyard scored first in transition before Golden nailed a three-pointer of his own taking the lead to double figures.
The Spiders would extend their lead to as many as 16 points down the stretch as Matt Grace (Hamilton, Ontario) nailed a three-pointer off a drive and dish from Gilyard. Cayo put the exclamation point on the victory with a thunderous dunk over two Kentucky defenders sending.
A youthful Kentucky (1-1) squad went to the free-throw line 33 times (20 makes) in the loss. Brandon Boston, Jr. led all scorers with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Oliver Sarr chipped in 17 points and 11 rebounds. Terrence Clarke had 15 points and six rebounds as Isaiah Jackson had 14 boards.
The Spiders return to action on Wednesday, Dec. 2, against the College of Charleston at TD Arena. Tip is set for 7 p.m. in Charleston, S.C.
--UR--
Team Stats
UR
UK
FG%
.433
.361
3FG%
.280
.000
FT%
.786
.606
RB
31
54
TO
10
21
STL
10
4
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
18
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
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/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballF
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F
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