Spiders second-half charges come up short at Saint Louis

Sunday, January 2

Saint Louis, MO

2:00 PM

University of Richmond

9-6,0-2Atlantic 10

Saint Louis

9-4,1-0Atlantic 10

Richmond

Saint Louis

Spiders second-half charges come up short at Saint Louis

01/02/2022 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Mooney, Gilyard Postgame

ST. LOUIS – Time and again, the Richmond Spiders closed the gap in the second half against Saint Louis Sunday at Chaifetz Arena. And time and again, the Billikens pulled away.

After trailing for 17 minutes in the first half, the Spiders narrowed their deficit to one twice midway through the second half, pulled within two with eight minutes to play, and closed to within three with 90 seconds left but could never quite catch the host Billikens in a 76-69 loss.

"This game comes down to making shots early and getting stops late," said Jacob Gilyard, who finished with 12 points, four assists, and a game-high four steals.

Richmond missed nine of its first 12 shots from the floor as the Billikens raced to an early 13-7 lead. The Spiders seemed on the verge of being down only two at intermission before Billikens guard Yuri Collins hit a three-pointer just before the halftime buzzer.

Richmond closed the gap to 49-48 on a jumper from Tyler Burton with 12:41 to play and again narrowed the deficit to one with 11:44 remaining, when a pair of Burton free throws made the score 51-50. But Saint Louis responded with a 6-0 run to allow some breathing room.

Four minutes later, Richmond again pulled close, this time on a three-pointer from Gilyard that made the score 59-57 with 7:44 to play. After the Billikens pushed their lead back to eight, a layup from Isaiah Wilson and a three-pointer from Burton made the score 71-68 with 1:46 left. But the Spiders could manage only a free throw down the stretch as Saint Louis sealed the win at the foul line.

Burton led Richmond with 24 points and 12 rebounds, becoming the first Spider to post those totals in a game since T.J. Cline vs George Washington on February 4, 2017 (26 points, 13 rebounds). He scored 19 points after halftime.

"His second half was just tremendous," said coach Chris Mooney of Burton's outing. "I know he went to the [free throw] line a bunch. He made shots. He was aggressive. He rebounded the ball. He was really tremendous in the second half. He needs to start the game with that same mentality that he played the second half with."

Grant Golden also registered a double-double for Richmond, finishing with 14 points and 11 rebounds for his 18^th career double-double. Nathan Cayo added 11 rebounds, matching his career high, as the Spiders outrebounded the Billikens 46-36. "A lot of those rebounds were in crowds and they were tough. That was a good sign for us," said Mooney.

But Richmond struggled from the field, shooting just 37 percent (24-65) on field goals and 30 percent (6-20) from three-point range.

"We got some good looks but didn't make them," said Gilyard. "We've got to get in the gym and get back to what we do and find a way to make shots. And if we don't make shots, we've got to find a way to get stops."

Richmond will return to the Robins Center on Wednesday for a matchup against Massachusetts. Tip time is 7 PM and the game will be televised on NBC Sports Washington Plus and ESPN Plus.