Lopez, Walz Lead Spiders in Loss at VCU

Tuesday, January 27

Richmond, VA

7:00 PM

University of Richmond

13-9,3-6Atlantic 10

VCU

15-6,6-2Atlantic 10

Richmond

VCU

01/27/2026 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Mooney, Walz Postgame

RICHMOND, Va. — A pair of standout individual performances and a stellar defensive second half weren't enough for the Spiders to overcome a sizable disadvantage at the free throw line in a 77-69 loss to VCU at the Siegel Center Tuesday night. AJ Lopez (17 points) and Mike Walz (16 points) led all other players in scoring, and UR held the Rams without a field goal for a nearly 10-minute stretch of the second half. But VCU kept the Spiders at bay by making 22 of its 27 free throw attempts as the Rams won their third straight Richmond Area Honda Dealers Capital City Classic. The loss dropped Richmond to 13-9 overall and 3-6 in Atlantic 10 play.

"I told the guys I was really proud of our effort," said Spiders coach Chris Mooney. "Of course we have to clean up plenty of things, but we can compete and play."

VCU scored the game's first two baskets, and back-to-back three-pointers from Jadrian Tracey pushed the VCU lead to 12-5 just four minutes into the game. The Spiders settled in with a 6-0 run to draw nearly even at 12-11. The Rams moved back ahead as the Spiders were forced to deal with players in foul trouble early and often. Both starting point guard Aiden Argabright and backup center Jaylen Robinson, forced into a more prominent role with Jonathan Beagle sidelined with an ankle injury for a second straight game, picked up a pair of fouls early in the game and spent most of the first half on the sideline.

A jumper by Walz with 13 seconds left in the 1st half shrunk VCU"s lead to 36-29, but the Rams flew the ball up the court and Ahmad Nowell drained a contested three-pointer from the top of the key to give VCU a 39-29 lead at intermission, its first double-digit lead of the game. Lopez scored a game-high 12 points in the first half, twice as many as any other Spider.

The Rams seemed on the verge of breaking the game open when a three-pointer by Nyk Lewis gave VCU a 56-39 lead with 13:36 remaining But VCU wouldn't score a field goal for the next nine-plus minutes of game time, as Richmond held VCU to 0-6 shooting from the field and forced four Rams turnovers during that span.

"I thought we defended well. We made them have longer possessions. They're excellent in transition, because any of their guys can take the ball and push the ball in transition," said Mooney of Richmond's defense in the second half. "I thought we did a good job of getting them in the half court. And then I thought we defended. We fouled a little bit too much, I guess."

The foul line sustained VCU during their nine-plus minutes without a field goal, as the Rams went to the foul line 13 times during that span, making nine. The Rams finished the game 22-27 from the foul line, while Richmond was 10-14.

"The free throw discrepancy is troubling because we've gotten to the foul line a lot this year, and I felt like we were aggressive," said Mooney.

Offensively, Richmond worked the ball down low to close the deficit, with Walz and forward Jaden Daughtry (10 points) repeatedly getting into the post and converting. Richmond drew as close as four when a layup by Aiden Argabright made the score 71-67 with just over a minute remaining, but the Rams were able to seal the game at the foul line.

"We really fought," said Mooney of Richmond's comeback attempt. "I thought that our tenacity and grit and all those things showed up. I wish we could have done a few more things a little bit sooner and a little bit better, but I'm really proud of how we played."

Walz added a team-high eight rebounds to his 16 points. He collected three of Richmond's 12 offensive rebounds, which UR turned into 17 second-chance points.

"Mike Walz I thought played great. Jaden Daughtry played great. AJ Lopez really played well. Collin Tanner [6 points, 4 rebounds] really gave us a big lift," said Mooney.

Richond will return to action Saturday as the Spiders host Davidson as part of Greg Beckwith Alumni Weekend. The game will tip at 4:30 PM on USA Network.

"We need to take care of our home court. We haven't been good enough at the Robins Center, and hopefully Saturday we get ourselves on the right track,"