Richmond Reverses Course, Beats Back VMI

Saturday, December 21

Robins Center

6 PM

University of Richmond

5-7,0-0Atlantic 10

VMI

6-7,0-0SoCon

VMI

Richmond

12/21/2024 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Mooney, Neskovic Postgame Instant Highlights

RICHMOND, Va. — After a so-so start, the Spiders used a perfect seven-minute stretch to take control of its matchup with in-state rival VMI Saturday, outscoring the Keydets 18-0 in the second part of the first half in a 78-71 win.

Richmond trailed midway 22-14 midway through the opening period. With 2:30 to go in the first half, the Spiders led 32-22 following an 18-0 run, their largest of the season. VMI wouldn't get any closer than four points over the game's final 22 minutes, as UR won its fifth straight in the series.

"Defense," said Spiders coach Chris Mooney when asked what he thought was behind Richmond's game-changing run in the first half. "And then the ball movement generally was good. … You can't manipulate where the defense goes against a zone like you can in man-to-man. Sometimes you have to be patient because the shot's going to come very late, and sometimes you have to take the open shot when you get it early. I thought we were OK — could have been a little bit better — but had some bright spots."

The Spiders forced four VMI turnovers and 12 straight missed shots by the Keydets during their 18-0 run. Offensively, seven different Spiders scored during the run, and UR shot 7-10 from the field.

Forward Dusan Neskovic led Richmond with a season-high 23 points Saturday, his second straight 20-point effort. He shot 8-16 from the field, including 3-8 from three-point range, and 4-4 from the foul line.

"We knew they were going to play a 2-3 zone the whole game. We prepared for that, kind of having the middle guy always there and people running around and finding open spots," said Neskovic. "I think we got a lot of open threes and the way they played it kind of allowed us to have some offensive rebounds and get those possessions back, which worked in our favor."

Richmond's 12 offensive rebounds were its most in a game since Jan. 7, 2023 vs Duquesne (13). The Spiders also recorded a season-high 18 assists, with center Mike Walz leading UR in assists (four), rebounds (eight), and blocks (three, a career high).

Neskovic was joined in double figures by guard DeLonnie Hunt, who scored 11 of his 16 points at the foul line, and forward Apostolos Roumoglou, who scored 10 points for his second career double-digit scoring game and his second of the week.

The Spiders also received a lift from Collin Tanner, who had four points and four rebounds to go with a team-high plus-minus of +15 in nine minutes, and B. Artis White, who had eight points and a pair of assists in his first action since suffering an elbow injury at Bucknell on November 16.

"B. Artis is really a dynamic player. He's an elite defender. Obviously, he shoots the ball well. He's really a high-level athlete, super quick," said Mooney. "That will be nice as he gets more and more comfortable and plays more and more."

The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Spiders, who improved to 5-7 on the season and won their holiday "getaway game" for a fourth straight year.

"Losing is bad for a lot of things. The biggest thing is it just sits with you and makes the days feel longer between games and has you feeling unsettled," said Mooney. "To win the game is great. A good feeling, a happy locker room, and a little break here before Christmas."

Richmond will return to action next Saturday, December 28 vs FGCU at the Robins Center. Tip-off time is scheduled for 6 PM and the game will be broadcast on ESPN Plus.

"That's the key — learning what we can from the games we had in the past and not looking back," said Neskovic. "Just looking forward to continuing to grow as a team moving into conference play and finding our rhythm."