Late surge pushes ODU past Richmond, 63-54

ODU (9-3) ended the game on a 23-6 run to defeat Richmond (4-7) by a 63-54 score at the Robins Center on Wednesday night.

Senior captains B.J. Stith and Ahmad Caver combined for 49 of ODU’s 63 points. The Monarchs outscored the Spiders 35-21 in the second half.

With 8:35 to play in the second half, Richmond claimed its largest lead of the contest, 48-40. Old Dominion answered on an 8-0 run to tie the game at 48-48, forcing a UR timeout at the 7:13 mark. Nine straight points from Stith gave ODU a 59-52 lead with 1:53 remaining in regulation, ultimately sparking a 23-6 Monarch run to end the contest in ODU’s nine-point victory.

“We dodged a bullet tonight,” said ODU head coach Jeff Jones. “Thank goodness for our seniors. Without B.J. and Ahmad, we don’t win this game. Their leadership combined with their play on the court was huge for us. Richmond is a much better team than their record indicates.”

Stith poured in a game-high 30 points, to go along with 12 rebounds, marking his fourth consecutive double-double. Caver followed with 19 points, eight dimes, two rebounds and one steal. Dajour Dickens chipped in four points, eight rebounds and two blocks.

For the ballgame, Old Dominion’s defense held Richmond to 37.0% (20-54) shooting from the floor and 31.8% (7-22) shooting from deep. ODU turned UR over 14 times on Wednesday night, while the Monarchs only turned the ball over seven times. The game experienced six lead changes and five ties. Old Dominion held a lead for 17:49, while Richmond led for 16:57.

In a first half that the Monarchs led by as many as eight, it was the Spiders who claimed a five-point advantage, 33-28, at halftime. Stith led the way for ODU in the opening 20 minutes, scoring 12 points on 5-7 shooting from the floor and 2-3 shooting from deep. Old Dominion shot 50.0% (5-10) from three-point range in the first half.

Old Dominion will return to the Ted Constant Convocation Center on Saturday, Dec. 22, when the Monarchs host Morgan State for a 2:00 ET tip. The final game of 2018 for ODU will stream live on C-USA TV.