Miami used a strong second-half push to overcome Richmond and win a 63-61 decision to advance to the NIT Semifinals.
Richmond (21-14) put three players into double figures, but Miami (24-12) used 17 offensive rebounds to get 28 free throw attempts in the second half.
Terry Allen led all scorers with his third-straight double-double, scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. It was his seventh double-double of the season as he finished with 13.0 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per contest.
T.J. Cline scored 17 points with three three-pointers on 7-of-15 shooting. ShawnDre’ Jones scored eight points with four assists, while Alonzo Nelson-Ododa grabbed six rebounds.
In his last game as a Spider, Kendall Anthony tallied 11 points with a game-high four assists. He also grabbed two rebounds and went 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
“I thought we played with great energy and we had opportunities with a nice lead,” head coach Chris Mooney said. “We didn’t capitalize on that lead well enough. It was a great atmosphere and congratulations to Miami. I wish that we had a little bit more for Kendall. The loss stings, but it’s exacerbated by not being able to coach Kendall again.”
Miami was led by Sheldon McClellan and his 16 points. Davon Reed had a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
The Spiders built a 30-18 halftime lead by holding the Hurricanes to 30 percent shooting from the field. UM finished the game at 31.1 percent from the field, but second-half offensive rebounding (12) and free throws (23-28) allowed the Hurricanes to overcome the deficit.
Miami tied the game with a three-pointer at the 2:04 mark and then took its first lead on a McClellan jumper with 1:01 left. Richmond had an opportunity to retake the lead but Cline’s three-point attempt went awry and the Hurricanes were able to make free throws down the stretch.
Anthony finished his Richmond career ranked fourth all-time in scoring with 1909 career points. UR’s all-time three-point leader, Anthony finished with 270 career threes, 29 more than second-place Jonathan Baker. He ranked sixth with 628 career field goals, seventh with 383 career free throws, fifth with a career free throw percentage of .806 and sixth in career three-point percentage (.391).
“Kendall Anthony is the most unique player that I’ve had the ability to coach,” Mooney said. “He holds himself to a very high standard. I use him as the example for all younger players and my kids on how to handle things on and off the court. He does things the right way and has always attacked his personal game with a great enthusiasm and intensity.”
Next season, the Spiders will look to a strong returning core class with Terry Allen (13.0 ppg), T.J. Cline (11.8 ppg), ShawnDre’ Jones (10.3 ppg), Alonzo Nelson-Ododa (6.6 ppg), Trey Davis (4.8 rpg) and Deion Taylor (3.8 rpg) all returning after logging significant experience this season.
Richmond now closes the book on a 2014-15 campaign that saw the Spiders win 20 or more games for the fourth time in seven seasons, advance to the NIT Quarterfinals for the second time in school history and set a new record with 16 home wins. UR will finish in the top 60 in the RPI after playing a schedule that ranked in the top 40 nationally.
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