Richmond hit 10 three-pointers and the Spider backcourt of Kendall Anthony and ShawnDre’ Jones combined for 30 points as UR defeated IUPUI, 57-53, in the Gotham Classic finale.
The win was Richmond’s (7-4) fourth victory in a row, tying last season’s longest winning streak. The Spiders swept through the Gotham Classic with wins over Howard, South Alabama, Pepperdine in Madison Square Garden and IUPUI.
Anthony set a new season high with five three-pointers, as he finished with 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Jones added 11 points on three treys, his third double-digit scoring game in the last four contests.
“I’m certainly pleased with the win,” head coach Chris Mooney said. “I wish we could have been a little more explosive on offense, but we shot a good percentage and made 10 threes without many turnovers which was good. We just had a few too many scoring droughts. I’m pleased with the win and looking forward to the holiday.”
Richmond won the turnover battle (10-8) for the eighth time this season, thanks to six steals. Deion Taylor set a career high with five assists to go with six rebounds. Terry Allen also had a career-high five assists with four rebounds and six points.
IUPUI’s Archie Mason II scored a team-high 12 points with five rebounds.
The Spiders shot 56 percent (10-for-18) from three-point range in the victory, keeping them a perfect 6-0 at home this season. The Spiders went on a 10-0 run midway through the opening half, holding the Jaguars scoreless for a stretch of more than five minutes to build a 14-point lead, the largest of the game.
The Jaguars rallied in the second half, posting a 54 percent shooting mark from the floor, taking their first lead with 13:30 to go in regulation. The nip-and-tuck game never got to a margin of more than four the rest of the way as the teams fought down the stretch to the final.
The Spiders took a one-point lead on a no-look, behind-the-head pass from Jones to T.J. Cline to make it 44-43 at the 6:55 mark. With the shot clock running down and UR holding a one-point lead, Anthony found a wide-open Alonzo Nelson-Ododa who knocked down a three-pointer, his first points of the game, to put Richmond up 51-47 with 2:46 remaining.
IUPUI cut Richmond’s lead to 53-51, but Nelson-Ododa responded again with a turnaround lay-in to make it a two-possession game again with 35 seconds remaining. Free throws from Trey Davis clinched the 57-53 win.
The Richmond Spiders men’s basketball team will be back in action on Sunday, December 28 when the team plays host to ACC foe Wake Forest. Tip-off is slated for 4 p.m. at the Robins Center and will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network.
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