It took the Richmond Spiders 23 minutes to get a lead versus Hofstra Monday night, but once they finally went ahead, they never looked back.
After trailing by as many as 14 in the first half, Richmond used a 10-0 run early in the second half to grab its first lead of the game and pulled away from the Pride for the 81-68 victory at the Robins Center.
“I’m proud of our effort tonight,’ head coach Chris Mooney said. “Hofstra is a challenge to defend and we knew that they were going go on a run. I just hoped it wouldn’t have been to open the game.”
Hofstra made its first six shots from the field, including four three-pointers as the Pride built an early double-digit advantage. The lead ballooned to as many as 14 before Richmond reasserted itself over the final six minutes of the first half to close the gap to 44-40 at halftime.
“To win after being down 14 in the first half, I am really proud of our guys,” Mooney said. “Midway through the first half, we were able to impose our will on the game. Being able to do that is going to be important later in the season.”
The Spiders opened the second half with an 8-2 run, as Tyler Burton hit a three, Nathan Cayo chipped in a layup, and Jacob Gilyard nailed an open three-pointer to give Richmond a 48-46 lead at the 17:02 mark. Hofstra was able to stay close, tying the game at 61 just past the midway point of the second half, but a 13-0 spurt by the Spiders put the game out of reach.
Burton led all scorers with 22 points, including four three-pointers, and added seven rebounds and three assists. Gilyard chipped in a season-high 17 points with five three-pointers, a team-high six assists and four rebounds. Nathan Cayo also recorded a season-high with 18 points to go along with five rebounds and five assists while shooting 9-11 from the field. Grant Golden was the fourth Spider to reach double figures, finishing with 13 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
As a team, Richmond registered 26 assists, the most by the Spiders since a win vs Massachusetts on February 28, 2018 (27).
Richmond next heads on the road to Nassau, Bahamas to take on Maryland Thursday as part of the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship. The 7 p.m. game will be aired on CBS Sports Network.
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