Juniors ShawnDre’ Jones and Marshall Wood combined for 64 points to lead the Richmond men’s basketball team to a thrilling 93-82 road victory over Fordham on Sunday afternoon. It was the Rams’ first home loss of the season, having previously won 10 straight inside historic Rose Hill Gymnasium.
Jones’ 35 points were the most by a Spider since Darien Brothers scored 39 in a home win over Charlotte on January 9, 2013. He finished 9-of-12 from the field, 5-of-8 from long range and 12-of-13 from the charity stripe. He also had four assists and a rebound on the afternoon.
In his first start as a Spider, Wood poured in a career-high 29 points on 10-of-16 from the field and 7-of-12 from long range. He also grabbed six rebounds in the victory. His seven three-pointers tied for the second highest total in a single game in program history.
“We kept our composure and stayed together as a team in that first half,” head coach Chris Mooney said. “Give credit to Fordham as they are a really good team and played with energy at home. But we took better care of the ball, made good passes and hit shots. Not only did Marshall Wood hit shots from outside but we aggressive on the glass. That was great to see. It’s tough to win on the road in this league, and I was proud of our effort to do that today.”
Senior Terry Allen scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds, marking the 25th straight game in double-figures. His streak is the 10th longest active streak in the country.
Senior Trey Davis also had an outstanding floor game, dishing a career-high 11 assists without a single turnover to Fordham’s trapping defense. Davis also made a game-high four steals. It marked the most assists in a game since Cedrick Lindsay’s 11 dimes in 2012, and is the most assists without a turnover by any A-10 player this season.
The 93 points marks the fourth time that the Spiders have reached 90+ in a game this year. That’s more than the previous three seasons combined. The 93 points was the most in an A-10 win for the Spiders since a 102-point effort against Fordham in 2012.
Fordham came out of the gates on fire, quickly taking a 17-4 lead behind the inside presence of Ryan Rhoomes. After Richmond got the lead to eight, the Rams answered and after back-to-back field goals by Mandell Thomas held a 32-17 advantage with 7:29 to play in the first half.
That’s when the Marshall Wood show took center stage.
The Rustburg, Va. native knocked down three consecutive three-pointers to cap off 17 straight points and bring the Spiders within six. That’s when Jones knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the game at 32-32. Richmond’s 15-0 run took just 2:10 off the clock.
After two free throws from Fordham reclaimed the lead, Jones knocked down another three-pointer to take a 35-34 lead, a lead the Spiders would extend to 47-39 at halftime.
In the first half, the Spiders knocked down 11 three-pointers and forced 10 turnovers. The 11 three-pointers in a half was the most in a half in the past three seasons.
Richmond kept the foot on the gas in the second half, extending its cushion to 12 at 59-47 with just over 12 minutes to play.
However, Fordham wouldn’t go away quietly, putting together a 14-1 run to take a 61-60 lead with 11:20 to play.
A layup by Allen and a three-pointer by Jones quickly reclaimed the lead in the Spiders’ favor. Wood hit a dagger three-pointer from the corner to beat the shot clock that dashed Fordham’s final hopes as the Spiders secured the 93-82 win at the free-throw line down the stretch.
The Spiders return home on Wednesday evening when they host La Salle. Game time on CBS 6.3 is set for 7 p.m.
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