Despite trailing by 10 at halftime, Richmond mounted a furious second-half comeback but ultimately could not crack the 22nd-ranked Dayton Flyers (16-3, 6-1), falling 63-60.
It was another frustratingly close road loss against one of the A-10’s top teams for the Spiders (10-9, 3-3).
Richmond used a 15-2 run midway through the second half to turn a nine-point deficit into a four-point lead with 6:52remaining. The Spiders were up two with the ball after a Deion Taylor block, but three empty possessions and Flyer free throws gave the home team a one-possession lead in the final minutes.
Kendall Anthony cut UR’s deficit to one with 41 seconds remaining, but UD responded with a layup from Kyle Davis and ShawnDre’ Jones’ shot at the buzzer came off the front rim.
Four different Spiders scored in double figures, led by T.J. Cline’s 14 points. Alonzo Nelson-Ododa reached double figures for the third time in four games, scoring 11 to go with a team-high seven rebounds. Terry Allen continued his A-10 scoring spike with 11 points, and ShawnDre’ Jones also had 11 with two assists.
Kendall Anthony battled foul trouble throughout the game and finished with just nine points, while Trey Davis added a career-high six assists.
Dayton’s Dyshawn Pierre led all scorers with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting, and Kendall Pollard added 14. The team’s scoring leader, Jordan Sibert, was held to just eight points on 2-of-7 shooting as he picked up four fouls.
Richmond’s offense moved the ball well for another solid team assist output (14 to Dayton’s 9), however uncharacteristic turnovers proved costly with UR committing 13. The Spiders entered the game ranked fifth in the nation for fewest turnovers.
In the second half, Richmond outshot Dayton (55.6-27.3 percent) and outrebounded the home team (16-11) thanks to hustling defense from all five players on the court.
Richmond returns home on Wednesday night to face Duquesne in a 7 p.m. tip.
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