There were moments in the University of Richmond men’s basketball team game against the University of Colorado Boulder on Nov. 20 when it looked like the Spiders might take down the No. 18 ranked team in the country.
That ended up not being the case when the Spiders fell to the Buffaloes 64-59 in the first of the program’s two games in the Sunshine Slam tournament in Daytona Beach, Florida.
“We sure try to get into some of the best [tournaments] we possibly can,” UR Head Coach Chris Mooney said in a press conference Nov. 17. “And then I think that we try to share with our guys how great the opportunity is. It seems to [be] becoming harder and harder to schedule these high-major games or events like these.”
The Spiders started play against CU 0-for-4 from the field. Eventually, they would hit their first shot, but getting on the board for the first time when already over four minutes of play had elapsed did not help their case early in defeating a ranked team.
However, the Spiders would stick around and keep the Buffaloes at bay in the first half. For the entirety of the first 20 minutes of regulation, UR never let CU’s lead swelter past six points, showing the team’s scrappy defense against the No. 18 Buffaloes.
Through one half, the score showed 28-25. Graduate center Neal Quinn hit a layup at the buzzer that kept the Spiders within three points of CU heading into halftime.
The Buffaloes came out of halftime and pushed their lead to seven over the Spiders, 32-25, early in the second half. The Spiders’ offensive efforts would not be stopped, though, as they went on a run of their own almost six minutes later, scoring eight straight points to go ahead 42-40 with 10:50 to play.
From there, the Buffaloes tied things up, but soon after, the Spiders held onto the lead for a few possessions. CU ended up taking back the lead with the Spiders still in striking distance. Until the final minute of play arrived.
With 51 seconds to go, the Spiders found themselves down by eight points – a tough hole to climb out of against a ranked, 3-0 basketball program.
With 32 seconds to go, the Buffaloes had taken full command and stretched their lead to nine.
A 3-pointer by graduate guard Jordan King at the buzzer cut things to five, but even a last ditch effort buzzer-beater could not overcome the Buffaloes in the end. King finished as the Spiders’ leading scorer with 23 points, also chipping in 6 rebounds. Senior guard Dji Bailey scored 11 points off the bench.
With the season still in its early stages, the Spiders have had two straight opportunities to pick up non-conference wins over teams from power-conferences. UR lost 68-61 to Boston College Nov. 15 and dropped this most recent game to the Buffaloes.
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“I think it’s so early, and as long as the fight’s there and the willingness is there, I think we’ll improve,” Mooney said in the Nov. 17 press conference, two days after the loss to BC. “I think this team really has a high ceiling and has a chance to improve dramatically during the course of the year.”
Fortunately for the Spiders, an additional chance will come their way Dec. 9 at the Orange Bowl Classic, when they take on the University of Florida Gators.
Before then, the Spiders will look to improve upon their early 2-2 record with four games already under their belts. Their first chance will come in the second game of the Sunshine Slam, where UR will take on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 21.
Contact sports editor Jimmy James at jimmy.james@richmond.edu.
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