Spiders Best VCU, Move Within One Win of A-10 Title

Saturday, March 2

Robins Center

6:00 PM

University of Richmond

22-7,14-2Atlantic 10

VCU

19-10,11-5Atlantic 10

VCU

Richmond

Jordan King raises a hand in a victory salute after leading the Spiders to a win over VCU

03/02/2024 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Mooney, King, Hunt Postgame Instant Highlights

RICHMOND, Va. — The Richmond Spiders played one of their best offensive halves of the season on the biggest stage Saturday at the Robins Center, scoring 47 points and shooting 16-24 from the field after halftime to beat VCU 79-76 in the Richmond Area Honda Dealers Capital City Classic. Jordan King scored a game-high 27 points and shot 4-6 from three-point range over the final 20 minutes.

"We were able to really move the ball nicely I thought in the second half," said Spiders coach Chris Mooney. "Jordan obviously is a very special player and when he can make shots like that it helps everybody."

The win, Richmond's fifth straight, moved the Spiders to 22-7 overall and 14-2 in the Atlantic 10, matching the school record for conference wins in a season (14-4 in 2019-20). With one win in their final two games or one more loss by Loyola Chicago, the Spiders will win the A-10 regular season title for the first time since joining the conference in 2001.

"We don't really listen to the outside noise," said DeLonnie Hunt, who scored a season-high 16 points. "We hear it. We see it. But we know what we've got in our locker room and we're just going to finish out the season the way we want to."

VCU led 27-21 with three minutes remaining in the first half before the Spiders closed the half on an 11-2 to take a 32-29 lead at the break. King scored 10 of Richmond's 11 points during the stretch and had a game-high 14 points at halftime.

After the Rams regained the lead in the opening stages of the second half, Richmond made 13 straight shots from the field over a 10-minute span, turning a seven-point deficit into a 10-point lead in the process. King made all four of his three-point attempts during the run, each one seemingly a more difficult shot than the last.

"If it was the first time I saw it, I'd say there was some luck there. But I've seen it over and over and over again," said Mooney. "He's really a great player who can make special plays."

"I practice those shots in practice every day, just trying to find a way to be creative," said King.

VCU cut Richmond's lead to as few as two over the final five minutes, but could never pull even with the Spiders, who improved to 14-1 at home this season and 20-0 when leading or tied with five minutes remaining.

"What has stood out the most to me about this team is, one: their competitiveness and two: their poise," said Mooney "These guys are not easily rattled. They play and can concentrate, and I think sometimes that's why our defensive rhythm and movement is so good. They're not worried about who's to blame or what happened. They're just poised and calm enough to go make the right play. And I think that's showed up in every game this year."

King's 27 points led all players. He's averaging 19.4 points per game this season and shooting 43.7 from three-point range. His 80 three-pointers are the seventh most in a season in program history.

Mooney was asked if King is deserving of the A-10 Player of the Year award after the game.

"I would think so. He's just been terrific. I knew he was good, but I didn't know how competitive he was," replied Mooney. "He's so competitive and wants to win so badly. That has had an incredible impact on our team."

"He's been Player of the Year for a long time in my book and I don't think it's changing," said Hunt.

King was one of six players the Spiders honored in a Senior Night Ceremony prior to the game along with Dji Bailey, Isaiah Bigelow, Tyler Harris, Neal Quinn, and Quentin Southall.

"I'm so glad we did it tonight because everybody was there. The students were there so early and you feel that that's an even more special memory for the guys," said Mooney. "I really from the bottom of my heart wish they all had been here for four or five years. This has been a great team to be around."

The Spiders will conclude their home schedule Wednesday vs Saint Joseph's with a chance to clinch the No. 1 seed in the A-10 Tournament and the program's first regular season conference title since winning the CAA in 2001. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 PM and the game will be broadcast on ESPN Plus and MASN.