Playing nationally-ranked teams in consecutive days, the Spiders put on a spectacular performance in the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational to down No. 14 Cal, 94-90.
Richmond won its 13th game against a ranked opponent since 2008, and beat a power-five team for the 18th team in Coach Mooney’s tenure. The Spiders are also now 11-4 in neutral court tournament games since 2009.
“Tonight was a team win by a very special group of players,” head coach Chris Mooney said. “Terry Allen’s was performance defies description. He’s an incredible player and performed tonight on a big stage. I was proud with the way that we responded to their run and showed a lot of heart in finishing the win against a nationally-ranked team.”
Senior Terry Allen had a career night in front of a national TV audience and a number of pro scouts. Allen scored a career-high 34 points and tied a career high with 13 rebounds for his 10th career double-double.
Allen went 17-of-21 from the free throw line including a number of clutch free throws to seal the win in the final minute. Allen’s 17 made free throws mark the most by a Spider player since 1969 when Kenny Foster hit 18 against West Virginia.
For the third-straight game, Richmond outrebounded its opponent. The Spiders held a 35-30 edge over Cal, including a 17-10 advantage in second-chance points. Richmond shot 50 percent (27-of-54) from the field, and went 9-of-18 from long range.
Junior ShawnDre’ Jones scored 22 points with four assists and an 11-of-12 performance from the line. He added four assists. Marshall Wood scored a career-high 18 points with four big three-pointers. Wood’s threes helped Richmond open a 15-point lead in the second half.
Cal was led by Jaylen Brown, who finished with 27 points. Tyrone Wallace had 15 points.
The Spiders were up by one at halftime after a steal from Deion Taylor and finish from Wood, giving UR a 44-43 advantage.
Richmond extended it to a 15-point lead on incredible outside shooting by Wood and Jones at the start of the second half. However, Cal was able to recover and came all the way back to grab a four-point lead with 3:43 left.
But a three-pointer from Jones and then free throws from Allen and Jones gave Richmond a two-possession lead late. The Spiders were able to convert from the line down the stretch, including two from Taylor with three seconds left to seal the win.
Richmond will have another big opportunity for a signature win on Tuesday, Dec. 1, when the Spiders travel to Gainesville to play Florida.
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