The Collegian
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Spiders fall to national power Syracuse 76-71 at Carrier Dome

There was no magical upset this time.

The University of Richmond men's basketball team hung tough, but fell just short of a win versus Syracuse University Tuesday night at the Carrier Dome, losing 76-71 during the Spiders' first of five nationally televised games this year.

"I think we all feel that we should have won this game," junior guard David Gonzalvez said of the loss, televised on ESPN. "We all feel like this is our year. We need to close out these big games."

In 1991, the Spiders handed Syracuse one of the most improbable losses in NCAA tournament history, when as a 15th seed, they defeated the No. 2 Orange 73-69. Richmond was the first No. 15 seeded team to defeat a No. 2 team in the tournament.

Richmond (1-1) led by seven at the half, but Syracuse (2-0) went on a 13-2 run during the first five minutes of the second half. Syracuse's star guards -- sophomore Jonny Flynn and junior Eric Devendorf -- took control of the game during the half, leading the Orange to outscore the Spiders 45-33.

Flynn led the Orange scoring 27 points, and Devendorf scored 22.

Devendorf scored 11 consecutive points during the 13-2 run, when he hit a three-point shot with 16:10 left to give the Orange a 42-40 lead. Syracuse never trailed after that shot.

"Our scouting report said not to let [Devendorf] get off good shots," Richmond coach Chris Mooney said. "When we made him put the ball on the floor, he struggled a bit with some travels. Flynn hurt us more."

Gonzalvez led the Spiders' scoring with 18 points, 14 of which were scored iduring the first half, when he went 4-for-4 on three-point attempts and added another two-pointer. He missed both of his three-point attempts during the second half, but made two of his three two-point shots.

As a team, the Spiders came out after the first half cold, especially from the three-point range. They missed their first nine attempts during the second half, going 1-for-12. During the first half, the Spiders were seven for 12 on three-pointers.

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"I thought we were very aggressive [during the first half]," Mooney said. "We were able to run our offense and get some good shots."

After scoring 17 during the first game against Randolph-Macon College Saturday night, sophomore guard Kevin Anderson scored 15 points before fouling out with 12 seconds to go.

Sophomores Justin Harper and Kevin Smith were the only other Richmond players to score in double figures. Harper ended with 13 points and was tied with freshman Conor Smith for the team-lead in rebounds with five. Meanwhile, Kevin Smith scored 10 points and had a team-leading four assists.

Mooney said he was pleased with the way that Harper and Smith played.

"Conor is going to be a real good player," he said. "What I like is that he ran down some balls. He has the ability to score.

"As long as [Harper] is aggressive, he will be a good player. In the first half, he was a bit tentative. In the second half, he got himself going."

Syracuse out-rebounded Richmond 36 to 28. The loss of junior center Dan Geriot -- sidelined the entire year with an injured knee -- hurt the Spiders because no one could match against Syracuse junior Arinze Onuaku underneath the basket. Onauka ended with 17 points and six rebounds off of the bench.

"Defensively, we got to be tougher rebounding and boxing out," Gonzalvez said.

The Spiders will next face Florida Gulf Coast at 7 p.m. Nov. 24 during the first round of the CBE Classic in Fort Meyers, Fla., where they'll also play the University of Missouri at Kansas City and Bradley University.

And although the final score of the Syracuse game didn't fall in Richmond's favor, signs emerged that the Spiders were improving.

"We all came out there," Gonzalvez said. "Nobody was nervous."

Even in the Richmond locker room after the game, there was a sour feeling that the team had almost beat a top team playing on the road, but ultimately let it slip away.

"We were probably a little pleased after the Memphis game last year," said Mooney, referring to the team's 83-60 loss against then-No. 3 Memphis University, a game the Spiders led with 13 minutes left. "We are not pleased this year, and I think that's a good thing."

Contact staff writer Andrew Prezioso at andrew.prezioso@richmond.edu

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