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RICHMOND, Va. —Richmond outpaced George Washington 27-9 during the last nine minutes — including 9-0 in the closing 74 seconds — to surprise the Revolutionaries in the Atlantic 10 opener for both squads on Tuesday at the Robins Center. UR’s victory, 66-61, marks its ninth win in the last 10 matchups against GW, elevating its season record to 6-8 and 1-0 in the A-10.
Richmond now holds a 14-10 all-time record in A-10 openers, with a 11-9 record under Chris Mooney.
“I’m extremely pleased with our team. The last few days have been pretty intense here, and we’ve genuinely worked to ensure that we performed to the best of our abilities as a Richmond basketball squad. The players responded tremendously well in our time together, which was considerable,” expressed Mooney.
“We have an opportunity to redeem ourselves in the conference, and it began today,” noted Spiders captain DeLonnie Hunt. “That’s what’s so wonderful about conference basketball; every team has a chance every single night. This league is filled with talent and exceptional coaches, so every game demands your utmost effort, and that’s exactly what we did tonight.”
Hunt topped Richmond’s scoring with 19 points, 10 of which were scored in the final nine minutes as Richmond overturned a 13-point deficit against George Washington.
“To be honest, our experience this week,” stated Hunt when asked about the factors behind the Spiders’ comeback. “Following the loss to FGCU, it was time for a transformation, and that started in practice. We faced a lot these past two days preparing for the match.
“We must continue moving forward. We held one another accountable this week. We worked incredibly hard, and it showed. That’s why we were resilient in the crucial moments.”
Mooney credited the turnaround to “tenacious defense,” adding, “There were instances late in the shot clock where we held our position, with the next man assisting, and we chased down loose balls. I just thought that was the key.”
UR was ahead by as much as 11 points in the first half, leading 29-21 at halftime after limiting George Washington to 6-25 shooting in the opening 20 minutes.
However, the Revolutionaries sharpened their shooting after the break, as Gerald Drumgoole Jr. surged with 27 points in the second half on 7-9 shooting from beyond the arc. With Drumgoole spearheading their efforts, GW established a 52-39 lead with nine minutes left.
Richmond responded with an 8-0 surge, started by two runners from Hunt, which was followed by four consecutive free throws from Dusan Neskovic, who joined Hunt in scoring double digits with 17 points.
Despite this momentum, UR seemed destined for defeat after a layup by Drumgoole put GW ahead 61-57 with 1:37 remaining. But Collin Tanner connected with Apostolos Roumoglou for a three-pointer from the wing with 1:14 on the clock, and Hunt was fouled on his drive to the basket with 24 seconds left following a missed three-pointer by the Revs. He completed both free throws, granting Richmond a 62-61 advantage.
On the subsequent possession, Spiders center Mike Walz contested a layup attempt from GW’s Darren Buchanan Jr. and grabbed the defensive rebound before passing the ball to Hunt, who was fouled. Hunt successfully converted both attempts from the charity stripe, increasing UR’s lead to 64-61.
Following two additional free throws from Hunt, Walz secured GW’s last-ditch three-point attempt for his 15th rebound of the contest, the highest number for any Spider since Isaiah Bigelow recorded 16 against Dayton on Jan. 27, 2024.
Richmond’s 18-20 showing from the foul line helped balance out its 35 percent shooting from the field, including 27 percent from long range (8-30). This shooting percentage marked the team’s lowest in a victory since March 13, 2019, against Fordham (32 percent).
“It’s about tough players executing tough plays, and we did just that in critical moments. We made the necessary plays,” Hunt remarked.
Hunt, Walz, and Roumoglou each recorded three assists, while Hunt also achieved a career-high six steals, the most by a Spider in over a year (Dji Bailey – 6 against Florida on Dec. 9, 2023).
Richmond has now secured three consecutive victories in the series and holds a 21-13 record against George Washington under Chris Mooney, marking Mooney’s most wins against any single opponent during his time at Richmond.
The Spiders will aim to start 2-0 in A-10 competition on Saturday against Massachusetts. The game is set to tip-off at noon on ESPN Plus.
Richmond now holds a 14-10 all-time record in A-10 openers, with a 11-9 record under Chris Mooney.
“I’m extremely pleased with our team. The last few days have been pretty intense here, and we’ve genuinely worked to ensure that we performed to the best of our abilities as a Richmond basketball squad. The players responded tremendously well in our time together, which was considerable,” expressed Mooney.
“We have an opportunity to redeem ourselves in the conference, and it began today,” noted Spiders captain DeLonnie Hunt. “That’s what’s so wonderful about conference basketball; every team has a chance every single night. This league is filled with talent and exceptional coaches, so every game demands your utmost effort, and that’s exactly what we did tonight.”
Hunt topped Richmond’s scoring with 19 points, 10 of which were scored in the final nine minutes as Richmond overturned a 13-point deficit against George Washington.
“To be honest, our experience this week,” stated Hunt when asked about the factors behind the Spiders’ comeback. “Following the loss to FGCU, it was time for a transformation, and that started in practice. We faced a lot these past two days preparing for the match.
“We must continue moving forward. We held one another accountable this week. We worked incredibly hard, and it showed. That’s why we were resilient in the crucial moments.”
Mooney credited the turnaround to “tenacious defense,” adding, “There were instances late in the shot clock where we held our position, with the next man assisting, and we chased down loose balls. I just thought that was the key.”
UR was ahead by as much as 11 points in the first half, leading 29-21 at halftime after limiting George Washington to 6-25 shooting in the opening 20 minutes.
However, the Revolutionaries sharpened their shooting after the break, as Gerald Drumgoole Jr. surged with 27 points in the second half on 7-9 shooting from beyond the arc. With Drumgoole spearheading their efforts, GW established a 52-39 lead with nine minutes left.
Richmond responded with an 8-0 surge, started by two runners from Hunt, which was followed by four consecutive free throws from Dusan Neskovic, who joined Hunt in scoring double digits with 17 points.
Despite this momentum, UR seemed destined for defeat after a layup by Drumgoole put GW ahead 61-57 with 1:37 remaining. But Collin Tanner connected with Apostolos Roumoglou for a three-pointer from the wing with 1:14 on the clock, and Hunt was fouled on his drive to the basket with 24 seconds left following a missed three-pointer by the Revs. He completed both free throws, granting Richmond a 62-61 advantage.
On the subsequent possession, Spiders center Mike Walz contested a layup attempt from GW’s Darren Buchanan Jr. and grabbed the defensive rebound before passing the ball to Hunt, who was fouled. Hunt successfully converted both attempts from the charity stripe, increasing UR’s lead to 64-61.
Following two additional free throws from Hunt, Walz secured GW’s last-ditch three-point attempt for his 15th rebound of the contest, the highest number for any Spider since Isaiah Bigelow recorded 16 against Dayton on Jan. 27, 2024.
Richmond’s 18-20 showing from the foul line helped balance out its 35 percent shooting from the field, including 27 percent from long range (8-30). This shooting percentage marked the team’s lowest in a victory since March 13, 2019, against Fordham (32 percent).
“It’s about tough players executing tough plays, and we did just that in critical moments. We made the necessary plays,” Hunt remarked.
Hunt, Walz, and Roumoglou each recorded three assists, while Hunt also achieved a career-high six steals, the most by a Spider in over a year (Dji Bailey – 6 against Florida on Dec. 9, 2023).
Richmond has now secured three consecutive victories in the series and holds a 21-13 record against George Washington under Chris Mooney, marking Mooney’s most wins against any single opponent during his time at Richmond.
The Spiders will aim to start 2-0 in A-10 competition on Saturday against Massachusetts. The game is set to tip-off at noon on ESPN Plus.
This page has been generated automatically; to view the article at its original site, you can follow the link below:
https://richmondspiders.com/news/2024/12/31/mens-basketball-spiders-dig-deep-for-big-comeback-win-in-a-10-opener
and if you wish to have this article removed from our platform, please reach out to us
