Fore leads Richmond to win with late defensive stops

The Richmond men’s basketball team beat the Fordham Rams 71-67 Saturday night after Khwan Fore made a few crucial defensive stops late in the game.

The Spiders won their third straight game and second straight Atlantic 10 game with this victory. But unlike recent games, this win was tightly contested and came down to the last few possessions.

Throughout the game, the two teams battled for the lead, with neither team ever gaining definitive control. At one point in the second half, the Rams went up 59-50, the largest deficit the game.

A high number of fouls and a lack of rebounding hurt the Spiders and often allowed Fordham to get easy points at the foul line. But a strong defensive performance, especially in the last five minutes of the game, led Richmond to the victory.

Field goals by T.J. Cline and ShawnDre’ Jones, along with 3-pointers by Marshall Wood, were some key offensive pieces for the Spiders. But the crucial plays were made by Khwan Fore, who made two defensive stops in the final minutes of the game to regain possession for Richmond.

“You can’t say enough about Khwan’s deflections at the end," Cline said. "He saved us."

These plays would allow the Spiders to take the lead in the last minute of the game. Richmond did not lose the lead after Fore's stops. 

Defense, once an area of weakness for the Spiders, has become one of their strengths. This was the third straight game that Richmond held its opponent to 35 percent or lower on field-goal shooting.

“For us a lot has been an alertness to what the other team is trying to do," Richmond coach Chris Mooney said. "...what they are trying to do and how we can defend it better."

Richmond is now 14-10 overall, 6-6 in the conference and tied for sixth in the A-10 standings.

The team will face a tough schedule this week. The Spiders play Davidson on Tuesday and VCU on Friday, two teams the Spider’s have already lost to this season.

Contact sports writer Aidan Logan at aidan.logan@richmond.edu