Saint Louis Rolls Over Spiders

Saturday, January 17

St. Louis, MO

4:00 PM

University of Richmond

13-6,3-3Atlantic 10

Saint Louis

17-1,5-0Atlantic 10

Richmond

Saint Louis

01/17/2026 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Mooney, Harper Postgame

RICHMOND, Va. — Saint Louis staked its case as the class of the Atlantic 10 with a dominant 88-63 win over Richmond Saturday at Chaifetz Arena. The loss dropped Richmond to 13-6 and 3-3 in A-10 play while the Billikens improved to 17-1 and 5-0 in the conference.

"I thought early we moved, and we got some good shots. When those don't go down, the game is more comfortable for them," said Mooney. "They present enough problems in the half court with [Robbie] Avila and the movement, but in the full court, they're deadly, and we weren't able to keep them out of that."

The Billikens entered Saturday averaging 91.9 points per game, ninth in Division I and tops in the A-10. The Spiders have also shown the ability to score, posting nearly 82 points per game, but weren't able to keep pace with Saint Louis Saturday.

"You need to be able to score. That's something we've been able to do. This is the first game where it was really, really, really a grind for us to score," said Mooney.

The outcome wasn't in doubt for long, as Saint Louis opened the game with a 14-2 run over the first six minutes. Richmond missed its first six field goal attempts and struggled from the field throughout the game, shooting only 34% (20-59), equaling its worst in any game this season.

"When we didn't score early or much in the first half, that really makes it difficult because they're so electric and fast in transition," said Mooney. "And they're all guys who can pass, so the ball changes sides of the floor pretty quickly. So you have to be able to score, at least at a reasonable pace."

Senior AJ Lopez, freshman Aiden Argabright, and freshman Will Harper III combined for Richmond's first 20 points. A pair of free throws by Will Johnston ended Richmond's scoring in the first half as the Spiders trailed 43-22 at intermission.

The Billikens stretched their lead to 29 over the first six minutes of the second half. With the outcome no longer in doubt, Richmond tried different lineup combinations, searching for one that could slow the Saint Louis offense. Harper logged 26 minutes, eclipsing his previous career high by 10, and fellow freshman Jaylen Robinson's 15 minutes were his most since Nov. 8 vs East Carolina.

"I thought he was really good out there today," said Mooney of Harper. "He's scrappy, tough. He got in there and got us an offensive rebound in a really tough spot. Naturally, he made some mistakes, but I think he really just has put himself in a position to have this kind of impact on the team."

"I wanted to get Jaylen some opportunities," said Mooney of Robinson. "Not only at center, but at forward. He's a little bit of a different dynamic for us and can help us."

Harper finished with a career-high 17 points, eclipsed only by AJ Lopez's 20 among Spiders.

"I'm not really phased by all the bright lights and the crowds and stuff like that. I just try to do whatever I can to help the team," said Harper. "It's just a stay-ready mentality. I talk to Coach a lot. He just tells me my time is coming and be ready for it. And that was today. So I just have to be ready for when my name is called."

Lopez's jumper with 16:43 remaining gave him 1,000 points for his collegiate career, making him the second Spider to reach the 1,000-point mark in the last two games (Jonathan Beagle vs La Salle).

Lopez also registered two of Richmond's three blocks, while Johnston led UR with three steals and center Mike Walz collected a team-high five rebounds.

"I think it was kind of a wake-up call. This is one of the top teams in the conference. So for us, I think we just go back and look at the film and see what we did wrong," said Harper. "We have to key that in and work on it practice and hopefully we'll get a better result."

The Spiders have now dropped two straight to Saint Louis following a three-game win streak in the series.

Up next for Richmond is a home matchup with Rhode Island Wednesday. Tip time is 7 PM and the game will be broadcast on ESPN Plus and Monumental Sports Network.