Spiders take Flyers to the wire, fall in double overtime

A monumental shake-up to the Atlantic 10 men’s basketball standings was nearly on the table for the University of Richmond, which took the No. 4 University of Dayton into double-overtime in the penultimate slate of conference matchups.

Unfortunately for the upset-minded Spiders, their efforts fell just short in a 74-64 defeat on the road March 1.

“We’d worked hard and prepared but… it’s not meant to be fair, it’s just whoever has the most points at the end,” UR Head Coach Chris Mooney said in a postgame press conference. “We did so many good things… for 50 minutes, we battled and fought.”

Indeed, UR brought the fight to the Flyers immediately, shedding the slow starts that have at times plagued the Spiders’ season to get out to an early 12-6 lead. The Flyers were quick to close in, but clutch shooting from UR kept Dayton behind.

The Spiders protected a slim, two-point lead as both sides went basket-for-basket down the stretch. UD was helped by periods of slow shooting from the Spiders – who notched just one point in the final 3:28 of the half – but would still play the final sixteen minutes of the first period from behind.

“They’re a really good offensive team, we handled everything really really well from them.” Mooney said.

In the second half, the Flyers turned the tables on UR, now becoming the ones to nurse a narrow advantage. Like the Spiders in the first half, UD grew their lead to multiple possessions, but could not break through to double-digits before five quick points from graduate forward Jack D’Entremont closed the gap to 3.

Shots continued to come in for the Spiders as they worked to overcome the Flyers’ shot-for-shot efforts. Despite shooting at just a 35.9% clip, UR battled back with four points from junior center Mike Walz and a 3-pointer from graduate forward Dusan Neskovic. Neskovic’s 17 point night marked his third consecutive game as points leader for the Spiders.

Overtime loomed on the horizon as UR’s defense seemed to keep UD off-balance, forcing an 0-6 mark on the Flyers’ final shots as they tried to close the game out. With a final 3-point buzzer-beating attempt missing the mark for UD, a five minute overtime frame could begin with the score at 48 apiece.

The Flyers sank a pair of free throws to open extra time before ceding momentum back to the Spiders, who cashed in a pair of field goals and a free throw of their own. Awarded two more free throws a moment later however, the Flyers stayed behind by just one point. Their efforts seemed in vain as a dunk from Neskovic put the Spiders ahead 59-57 with seven seconds left, but a layup from UD as time expired ensured another frame of play.

“The entire game, we were stout defensively, I thought this was one of our best defensive games,” Walz said. “But the end of the first overtime, guy going coast-to-coast, 0.5 seconds on the clock, it’s painful.”

Five more minutes of overtime seemed equally tight as both sides matched each other at 61-61. It did not take long for things to get out of hand for the Spiders however, as UD went on an 8-2 run off of 6/6 free throw shooting. UR would tack on just one more free throw of its own before the buzzer sounded on the 74-64 heartbreaker.

“There was consistency… everything but the win, which is all that matters. It’s a tough one to swallow, but there are certainly a lot of positives,” Mooney said.

The loss dropped the Spiders to 5-12 within the A-10, for an overall record of 10-20. In staving off the upset, the Flyers joined a trio of 10-6 teams tied for third in the A-10.

 For its final match of the 2024 season, UR will host George Mason University March 8 at 6 p.m. The Spiders will once again be looking to play spoiler against the second-ranked Patriots, having lost 64-58 earlier this season.

Contact sports editor Scott Valentine at scott.valentine@richmond.edu