WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — Grant Golden registered 19 points while Tyler Burton contributed a 12-point, 11-board double-double as Richmond completed a second-half comeback bid against Rhode Island, 64-59, to close out the Second Round at the Atlantic 10 Championship on Thursday night at Capital One Arena.
The sixth-seeded Spiders (20-12) fought back from a 15-point deficit en route to the eventual victory, securing their berth in Friday's Quarterfinals against cross-city rival No. 3 VCU, tip slated for 8:30 p.m. on USA Network.
"I don't know what the deal was," Richmond guard Jacob Gilyard said. "I figured it would be tough for us to make shots, given that it was in an NBA arena, different from what we're used to playing. But I figured we would be better on defense. We just kind of gave up layup after layup. They were getting easy looks. We weren't getting back in transition, weren't communicating. Some things were said in the locker room. At the end of the day, this is why our seniors came back, to get one last run at it, and we didn't want to go out like that."
After a season-low 21 points in the first half, Gilyard and Co. went to work creating more opportunities offensively for the Spiders, doubling the Rhode Island turnover count from six in the opening 20 minutes to 12 across the final period. The nation's leader in steals, Gilyard swiped six more as UR fought back into the matchup.
"We've been a team that can press pretty well with some length and speed, and obviously Jacob [Gilyard]," Richmond head coach Chris Mooney said. "Tonight, obviously we didn't want to be in that position, but we were glad to be able to press and to do it effectively."
For Rhode Island (15-16), Malik Martin matched a career high with 20 points while grabbing nine rebounds. Makhi Mitchell added 13 points and eight boards as well.