Just over a week ago, the Richmond Spiders played a thrilling game at home in front of a packed house at the Robins Center against the Dayton Flyers. It was an 85-84 loss but established that Chris Mooney’s team could compete against one of the top teams in the A-10, even though his team was in the midst of a late season swoon.
The scene could not have been more different for their rematch in the A-10 quarterfinals. Dayton, not playing their best, was good enough to put the Spiders in a deep first half hole and hold them to just 28 percent shooting in the first 20 minutes en route to a 69-54 win that dropped the Spiders to 16-16 on the year.
“We’re kind of a rhythm team, and we never really found any kind of positive rhythm” Mooney said after the loss. “Dayton had a lot to do with that. We couldn’t get anything going.”
Charles Cooke led Dayton with 14 points and Dyshawn Pierre chipped in 10 points and 14 rebounds. The Flyers outrebounded Richmond 48-30 and held Terry Allen to just 7 points. T.J. Cline again had a huge game against Dayton. He scored 36 in last week’s home loss and added 25 more in Brooklyn.
“Our shooting ability last game stretched them out a little bit” said Cline. “This game, without Marshall (Wood, out with a concussion), it was a lot tighter in the paint. Passing lanes weren’t there and they made great defensive adjustments.”
“They don’t give up many things easily” Mooney added of the Flyers. “We had some opportunities around the basket. Those have to go in to stem the tide.”
Mooney was non-committal on if this was his team’s last game of the season. With an RPI near 130, they are not likely to receive a second straight NIT bid and Mooney was not sure if the team would accept an invitation to either the College Basketball Invitational or the College Invitational Tournament.
If they do neither, it ends the careers of seniors Trey Davis (Benedictine), Terry Allen, Deion Taylor and John Moran who have been a part of 55 wins over the past four years, but never made the NCAA tournament.
“Trey is a prototypical Richmond basketball player and student-athlete” Mooney said. “The whole senior class has been very positive, never late for a weighlifting session in four years. Extremely hard working, competitive, and great to have had in our program.”
