University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
13-7,3-4Atlantic 10
Rhode Island
11-8,2-4Atlantic 10
Spiders Clipped by Rhode Island in Final Seconds
01/21/2026 | Men's Basketball
RICHMOND, Va. — RJ Johnson's fallaway elbow jump shot with 2.3 seconds to play gave Rhode Island its first lead in more than 19 minutes and delivered a one-point win for the Rams over Richmond Wednesday at the Robins Center. The Spiders trailed for just 32 seconds in the second half, but were never able to shake the Rams, who have now won two straight in the series following six straight losses against Richmond.
"Obviously, a tough loss. I thought we really showed guts and effort and did a lot of things that really gave us a chance. We just weren't able to come away with a win," said Spiders coach Chris Mooney.
Richmond's starting center Mike Walz and backup center Jonathan Beagle both left with ankle injuries in the first half, playing just a combined 13 minutes.
"It put us in a very difficult position," said Mooney of the injuries to Walz and Beagle. "I thought our guys fought and scrapped and did so many things that would help us, and at the end we just didn't have quite enough to get two more points."
"They're a big part of our offense, so we had to move a lot more. We had to find other ways to score," said freshman Aiden Argabright, who led Richmond with a season-high 20 points, the most by a true freshman for Richmond since Jake Wojcik scored 22 on Dec. 29, 2018 at South Alabama.
With two true centers sidelined, the Spiders turned to 6'7" forward Apostolos Roumoglou and 6'6" forward Jaylen Robinson. The new-look Richmond lineup led for nearly all of the second half, but couldn't separate from the Rams, never leading by more than six.
A pull-up jumper from Argabright with 1:45 to play stretched Richmond's lead to 68-65, but UR would go scoreless on its final three possessions, including missing the front end of a one-and-one with 22 seconds to play that set the stage for Johnson's game-winner.
On the final possession, Argabright managed to force Johnson to retreat back outside the lane after he dribbled hard down the right lane line from the top of the key. With the clock ticking down, Johnson stepped back to his left and hit the fadeaway over Argabright's outstretched arms.
"We were playing good defense for the most part. He just hit a tough shot," said Argabright.
"I'm pleased with our effort and how hard we played facing some real adversity," said Mooney. "They were able to get to the free throw line late and take some one-on-one plays late and make baskets, and we just didn't quite have enough."
Argabright shot 3-4 from three-point range and 7-8 from the foul line en route to his first career 20-point game. Jaden Daughtry joined him in double figures with 10 points while adding six rebounds, tied with Roumoglou for the team high.
The loss dropped Richmond to 13-7 overall and 3-4 in the Atlantic 10.
"We came up short today, but we'll be back on Saturday," said Argabright.
The Spiders visit George Washington Saturday at 3 PM on USA Network.
