Richmond Spiders’ second half woes continue against Iona

The Spiders fell 88-79 to the Iona Gaels on Tuesday. For the second straight outing, the University of Richmond Spiders’ inability to stop their opponent’s second half scoring runs has resulted in consecutive non-conferences loses for the first time since the 2009-10 season.

December 15, 2011; 12:09 PM • by Adam Williams

In a rare weekday afternoon game, the Gaels (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) visited the Robins Center for a highly competitive rematch of last year’s double-overtime thriller in New York–which the Gaels also won. Last year’s nail biting loss was the result of the Spiders’ failure to close out a lead in the game’s final minutes. Wednesday’s loss, however, was a tale of two very different halves as Richmond was unable to match its defensive intensity from the first half, allowing the Gaels to shoot a ridiculous 67.7% over the final 20 minutes and 58.7% for the game.

Iona came into the game as the nation’s second highest scoring team, averaging 88 points per contest. The Spiders helped the Gaels by committing 10 second half turnovers and providing no answer for MAAC preseason player of the year, Mike Glover, who contributed 22 of Iona’s 56 points in the paint. Not helping matters was Richmond’s inability to keep containment on the nation’s top assist man, Scott Machado (10.9 APG). Neither Cedrick Lindsay nor Darien Brothers had an answer for Machado’s relentless penetration, giving him the option to finish at the rim or create an easy shot for a teammate. Machado finished with 13 points and 15 assists to only two turnovers. In addition to Glover and Machado, three other Gaels notched double digits in the scoring column.

While the Spiders defense was the glaring difference in the game, their offense was able to put up 44 second half points, fueled by Cedrick Lindsay’s 21-point effort, marking his second straight game of scoring at least 20 points. Darrius Garrett added his first double-double of the season, contributing his highest scoring (13) and rebounding (11) output of the season. Kendall Anthony scored 10 of his 18 points in the second half and continues his hot streak from beyond the arc over the last eight games shooting 52.7% (19-36). However, the Spiders’ second half scoring rally was simply not enough to compensate for their patchy first-half effort.

The Spiders drop to 6-4 on the season.

Quick Stats/Notes

Tuesday’s loss to Iona is only the Spiders’ second non-conference defeat at the Robins Center since the start of the 2009-10 season.
Darrius Garrett’s four blocks gives the senior 161 for his career, inching him closer to the school record of 183.
The Spiders return to action Saturday (12/17) on the road against Bucknell and look to avenge last year’s buzzer-beater loss.