Rapid Recap: Richmond 71 - Coppin State 49

Final Score: Richmond 71 - Coppin State 49

What Happened: Despite playing without leading scorer Cedrick Lindsay, Richmond had no problem beating Coppin State on Saturday night. Kendall Anthony made up for Lindsay's absence, finishing with a game-high 18 points. Sophomore forwards Trey Davis and Terry Allen had strong games as they combined for 24 points and 15 rebounds. Coppin State hung with the Spiders early, but the Eagles had a stretch where they went over nine minutes without a field goal midway through the opening half. During this stretch, Richmond went on a 17-4 run that gave them a 28-16 lead, and the Spiders did not look back. Anthony led all scorers with 15 points in the first half and made four of his seven three-point shots. ShawnDre Jones gave the Spiders a boast off the bench, hitting two 3-pointers in the first half. The Spiders went 6-12 from three in the first half against a Coppin State zone that dared Richmond to shoot threes. Richmond outscored the Eagles 34-28 in an uneventful second half. Despite shooting poorly in the second half, Richmond did not let its lead get lower than 13.

Spider Positives: Alonzo Nelson-Ododa may not have filled the stat sheet tonight, but his defense was instrumental to Richmond's success. Nelson-Ododa, who had six points, five rebounds and four blocks, forced difficult shots and created turnovers because of his presence around the basket. Nelson-Ododa's defense helped Richmond outscore Coppin State 34-14 in the paint. Richmond proved tonight that it can play well on both ends of the court without Lindsay. The Spiders hope to get their leading scorer and senior leader back soon, but it was encouraging to see the team play well without him. Kendall Anthony looked comfortable being the go-to guy tonight.

Spider Negatives: After shooting so well in the first half, Richmond went 1-10 on 3-pointers in the second half. After responding to its first half shooting performance with such a poor second half performance, The first half looks to be the anomaly given the Spiders' three-point shooting woes this season. Three-point shooting could end up being Richmond's achilles heel later this season. Despite out-rebounding Coppin State 36-34, I was not impressed with how Richmond rebounded tonight. The Spiders should have been able to control the glass against the less-athletic Eagles.

Up Next: The Spiders will look to avenge last year's 73-48 loss against Ohio on Dec. 22 at the Robins Center.

Contact staff writer Jack Nicholson at jack.nicholson@richmond.edu

Follow him on twitter at @Jack_Nicholson