Spiders cruise past Fairfield, take 3rd place at HOF Tipoff Tournament

The Richmond Spiders bounced back from a hard fought loss against #19 UNC to dominate the Stags of Fairfield, 68-47, and claim a strong finish at the Mohegan Sun Hall of Fame Tipoff Tournament Sunday afternoon.

November 25, 2013; 7:18 AM • by Adam Williams

The Richmond Spiders bounced back from a hard fought loss against #19 UNC to dominate the Stags of Fairfield, 68-47, and claim a strong finish at the Mohegan Sun Hall of Fame Tipoff Tournament Sunday afternoon.

RECAP

Stags sophomore guard Marcus Gilbert scored the opening two points against the Spiders during Sunday afternoon’s 3rd place consolation matchup between Richmond and Fairfield. Down a quick 2-0, Cedrick Lindsay came down to hit a three pointer and give Richmond the lead–a lead the Spiders would never relinquish for the remainder of the contest. Fairfield hardly put up a fight, scoring only 17 points in the first half, shooting a lousy 33% from the field (10.5% from behind the 3-point line), and falling to 1-5 on the young season.

For the Spiders, Sunday afternoon’s game proved to be nothing more than an opportunity to rediscover their offensive potential in the post and, as a result, take some of the pressure off of their perimeter players. Whereas Richmond’s five post players combined for only 21 shot attempts Saturday versus North Carolina, those same five big guys had 29 attempts Sunday against Fairfield, accounting for well over half of Richmond’s total shot attempts (45). ShawnDre’ Jones, the only Spider freshman who has logged considerable playing time thus far this season, took advantage of fourteen minutes off the bench to score in double digits (11 PTS, 2-3 FG, 1-1 3FG, 6-6 FT) for the first time in his collegiate career.

Lindsay followed up his spectacular 29-point game Saturday afternoon against the Tar Heels with a quiet seven points on 2-of-6 shooting from the field. But even on a night when Lindsay didn’t electrify the Mohegan Sun Arena crowd by lighting up the nets, he still managed to reach a major milestone by joining Richmond’s 1,000 point club and has moved into 41st place on the Spiders’ all-time scoring list. Derrick Williams (11 PTS, 3 REBS) and Alonzo Nelson-Ododa (9 PTS, 8 REBS, 2 BLKS) helped provide a much-needed lift in the paint on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor.

Though Richmond delivered an early knockout punch to the Stags on Sunday afternoon, the defense kept up their intensity and pressure throughout the entirety of the game. The Spiders have primarily their defense to thank for their 4-2 start to the season, having held their opponents under 30% shooting in four of their first six games while mustering only a 41% mark on offense thus far this season. If the Spiders can continue to pressure their opponents’ backcourts with defensive speed, their well-oiled matchup zone, and their ability to create turnovers, they should be able to compete against anyone in the A-10. The question, however, will remain: can they score enough to stay competitive in conference play? Only time will tell.

TOP PERFORMER: Terry Allen

16 points, 6-9 shooting, 4-4 free-throws, 4 rebounds, 1 turnover

Terry Allen answered the bell on Sunday afternoon and tied his season-high with 16 points on 6-9 from the field and 4-4 from the free throw line while also contributing four rebounds. Allen continues to figure in as Richmond’s 3rd best scoring option behind Lindsay and Anthony, leads the team in rebounding (8.2 per game), and is second in overall shooting percentage (.485%).

LOOKING FORWARD

After beating Fairfield and moving to 4-2 on the season, the Richmond Spiders will return to action Wednesday to take on Air Force (3-2) at 9:00 PM Eastern Time. ESPN 950 will broadcast the game live from the scene at Colorado Springs. Richmond will then return to the Robins Center Saturday evening to face in-state opponent, James Madison (2-4) at 6:00 PM.

November 25, 2013 7:18 AM 0