Richmond passes Old Dominion with unselfish ball movement

The Spiders maintained an efficient, selfless, team-oriented offense to dominate in-state rival Old Dominion on Friday.

Old Dominion had lost 5 of its previous 6 games and had not won on the road this season before coming to the Robins Center. Regardless, this game was anticipated to be a good matchup because the Spiders have been averaging 81.2 points per game, and ODU’s defense has only been allowing 57.8.

Richmond stayed in-character, beating the Monarchs 77-61, but both teams struggled to put points on the board early on in the game.

In the first five minutes, the Monarchs shot 1-7 from the field and Spiders shot 1-6 themselves. The Monarchs were winning 3-2 until senior Terry Allen helped shift the momentum for the Spiders with some steals and quick layups. That was the only lead the Monarchs had throughout the night.

Old Dominion continued to have a hard time finding the net, and the Spiders played strong, patient defense, forcing them into difficult shots and shot clock violations. A few offensive rebounds from the Monarchs momentarily put them back into the game with a 9-9 tie in the middle of the first half, but the Spiders found their rhythm soon after.

The Spiders were able to pick apart the Monarchs’ defense by creating open looks through great ball movement, both under the basket and outside the arch. Twenty-one of the Spiders’ scoring drives came from assists.

Old Dominion is ranked fourth best in the nation for holding 3-pointers, allowing only 27 percent, but the Spiders were able to find the space to get some good shots off. They made 8, making their 3s 42.1 percent of the time.

Richmond’s entire team contributed to the outcome with three players scoring in double digits, but T.J. Cline led the team, tying his career high with 27 points. Cline made five 3-pointers, and had 4 assists with no fouls.

Terry Allen had 22 points and 13 rebounds, his third double-double of the season. This marks the sixth time this season that Allen has scored over 20 points in the game. ShawnDre Jones put up 12 points of his own, and led the team with 6 assists. Khwan Fore was the most explosive off the bench, with 8 points and a steal.

Old Dominion capitalized on the offensive rebound, scoring 14 of their points on the second chance. They were led by Trey Freeman, who had 15 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists.

Richmond led by as much as 29 points in the second half. Their confidence in each other and themselves was clear as they ran out the clock in the last few minutes, never easing up the pressure they held on the Monarchs.

In the post-game interview, Richmond Coach Chris Mooney said that he was thrilled with how the team played a complete game. Offensively, they had moved the ball well, and defensively, it was one of the best games they had played.

This win marks a three-game winning streak, giving the Spiders a 7-3 record on the season. Their next game will be on Saturday, Dec. 22 against Presbyterian at home.

Contact sports assistant Jennie Trejo at jennifer.trejo@richmond.edu