Spiders, Francis Hold Off George Washington

Wednesday, February 26

Washington, DC

7:00 PM

University of Richmond

21-7,11-4Atlantic 10

George Washington

12-16,6-9Atlantic 10

Richmond

George Washington

02/26/2020 | Men's Basketball

Box Score AUDIO: Coach Mooney Post Game AUDIO: Blake Francis Post Game

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Richmond Spiders forced 15 turnovers and poured in 20 points in the first six-and-a-half minutes of the second half, just enough to survive late-game struggles from the foul line in a 73-70 win at George Washington on Wednesday.

In the final 31 seconds, Richmond missed four free throws, fouled a three-point shooter, and gave up an offensive rebound on a missed free throw that led to a potential game-tying three-point attempt just before the buzzer. But the Spiders still managed to hold on to improve to 21-7 this season -- Richmond's most wins in the regular season since 2010-11 -- and 11-4 in the Atlantic 10.

George Washington started the game on target from three-point range, making five triples in the game's first 12 minutes and building a 23-17 lead. The Spiders responded with four points each from Blake Francis and Nathan Cayo in the final minutes of the first half and retook the lead just before halftime on a three-pointer from Nick Sherod, going into the break up 33-32.

Richmond stormed out of the locker room to start the second half as Francis hit a three-pointer and Sherod added a jumper and three of his own to give Richmond a 41-32 advantage and force a Colonials timeout.

The Spiders built their lead to as many as 12, going up 53-41 on a three-pointer from Tyler Burton with 13:39 to play, part of a 20-9 stretch from the Spiders to open the second half.

But the Colonials chipped away at the Spiders lead, making it a one-possession game at 66-63 on a jumpshot from Armel Potter with 4:50 remaining. George Washington had a chance to tie the game a minute later, but Jacob Gilyard stole a pass at midcourt and made a three-pointer from the corner on the ensuing possession to double the Spiders lead to six.

Richmond still led by six with 21 seconds to play after a pair of Francis free throws made the score 73-67. But the Spiders fouled Maceo Jack on his three-point attempt with 13 seconds to go and Jack halved the Spiders lead with three makes from the foul line.

The Colonials then fouled Francis, who missed a pair from the charity stripe. Richmond fouled Armel Potter and sent him to the line with four seconds to play. Potter missed the first and then intentionally missed the second, managing to grab his own rebound. But Potter's up-and-under heave from beyond the three-point line never had a chance, allowing Richmond to hold on for the 73-70 win.

Francis finished with a game-high 19 points while Sherod added 15. Golden recorded 12 points to go with seven rebounds and a career-high eight assists as he frequently found teammates for baskets after being double-teamed in the post.

Jacob Gilyard had eight points and three steals, giving him a Division-I leading 88 this season. That matches his total from last year and is one shy of his single-season school record of 89 in 2017-18.

Richmond has won four straight vs George Washington, matching its longest win streak in series history. The Spiders are also 8-3 on the road this season, matching their total number of road wins from 2017-18 and 2018-19 combined (8-15).

The Spiders will return home on Saturday for a game with Massachusetts at 6 PM. The game is sold out, but can be seen on NBC Sports Washington and ESPN Plus.