University of Richmond Athletic Department issued the following announcement on Jan. 22
Facing a defensive lineup that frequently included three players 6'8" or taller, the Spiders starting frontcourt refused to yield an inch Saturday at La Salle. Forwards Grant Golden and Nathan Cayo each scored 18 points and combined to shoot 16-26 from the field to lead Richmond to a 64-56 win.
"It's daunting for us because we're built a little bit more fluidly and our guys are capable of doing things on the perimeter and moving and doing things like that," said Richmond coach Chris Mooney, who reached 300 wins at Richmond with the victory, becoming the 22nd active D-I coach with 300 wins at his current school.
But once the Spiders staff saw how La Salle was defending the post, they decided to attack the interior against the tall, long Explorers. "They didn't double Grant or Nate," explained Mooney. "Most teams will send somebody [else] in there. We really wanted those guys to take their time and try to make sure they could be effective in the low post."
Cayo was efficient as well as effective, making nine of his 11 shots from the field and matching his season high with 18 points. Golden, who exited Richmond's game prematurely Tuesday at Fordham after falling on his back, bounced back to record 18 points, five rebounds, and a pair of steals. The Spiders outscored the Explorers 38-28 in the paint.
An 8-0 run gave La Salle a 15-10 lead after eight minutes of play, but Richmond, behind Golden and Cayo, slowly reined in the Explorers. The two combined for eight straight points to give the Spiders a 29-25 lead with less than two minutes remaining to halftime. Richmond led 31-29 at intermission.
After La Salle tied the game at 33 two minutes into the second half, the Spiders responded with a 9-0 spurt to open up the game. The lead reached double digits when a dunk by Golden made the score 49-38 Richmond with 8:48 remaining, and La Salle was never able to pull closer than seven points down the stretch.
The Spiders held La Salle to 38 percent shooting from the field and forced 16 turnovers. The 56 points by the Explorers were tied for the fewest by a Spiders opponent over the last two seasons.
"We played very well defensively," said Mooney. "Andre Gustavson is just a tremendous defender. His ability to keep the ball away from a really good player and to make it really difficult for a scorer is really, really impressive. I thought he did a great job of that and I thought that made them a little bit more stagnant."
Gustavson, making his second start of the season, finished with eight points, five rebounds, and five steals, matching his career high.
With the win, Richmond improved to 12-7 on the season and 3-3 in the Atlantic 10. The Spiders are 9-3 in their last 12 games following a 3-4 start to the season.
Richmond will stay on the road, taking on Rhode Island in Kingston, R.I. on Tuesday. Tip time is scheduled for 6:30 PM and the game will be nationally broadcast by CBS Sports.
Original source can be found here.
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