By Paul Casey Gotham
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Credit Chris Mooney’s team for their ability to adapt.
Entering play on Friday, the Richmond Spiders tallied more than 70 points per game with a field goal percentage ranked in the top ten nationally.
After two games in conference tournament play, the Spiders have shown they can grind out a win.
Kevin Anderson scored a game-high 22, and Justin Harper added 18 as the Richmond Spiders defeated the Temple Owls 58-54 in A10 semi-final action at the Boardwalk Hall.
Harper’s acrobatic tap back of his own miss proved to be the difference as the Spiders avenged a loss in last year’s tournament final.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17AVazCvnek]
“I caught the ball on the wing, and Lavoy (Temple’s Allen) flew at me,” Harper explained. “I just saw open baseline, so I went for it. At the same time, I saw Fernandez trying to take a charge, so I had to adjust around him and just kind of flip it up on the rim. It was short, so I knew I had to stay in there to tap it back in. I was able to get a hand on it.”
Harper gave the Spiders a six-point lead at 53-47 when he slashed through the middle of a Temple 2-3 zone, caught a pass from Dan Geriot and finished in the lane.
But the Owls mounted a comeback.
Khalif Wyatt’s three-point play the old-fashioned way made it a one possession game.
Ramone Moore and Juan Fernanadez combined to give Temple the lead.
Fernandez and Rahlir Jefferson double-teamed Anderson on a ball screen, and the Owls guard was able to steal the ball and lead Moore into the open-court for a layup.
One possession later, Wyatt corralled a Geriot miss and started the transition with an outlet to Fernandez who found Moore for the short-lived lead.
“We played Temple in so many tight games before, and we know they’re going to make some good runs late in the game like that because they’re such a great team,” Harper commented. “We just did a great job tonight of keeping our composure.”
Anderson sunk a pair of one-and-one free throws to give the Spiders a three-point edge, and Cedrick Lindsay sealed the game with another from the line with fifteen seconds remaining.
“I’m extremely proud of our team and just how tough we were; how much resolve we showed,” Mooney said. “It seemed to me to be replica of the game we had with Temple last year.”
The Owls defeated the Spiders 56-52 in last year’s final.
But this year the Owls faced too many challenges. With their bench already shortened by the loss of Scootie Randall, Temple struggled with early foul trouble. Lavoy Allen picked up his second foul less than five minutes into the game. Rahlir Jefferson was whistled for his third infraction with 7:30 to go in the first half.
To make things worse, Anderson appeared at his best for much of the battle. Like a water bug on hardwood, the Richmond point guard zigged and zagged his way through the Owl defense. Rather than pressuring the senior from Atlanta, Georgia, the Owls were reduced to staying between Anderson and the basket.
“He’s a really good player,” Temple head coach Fran Dunphy commented. “He was the Player-of-the-Year in our league last year. Just a terrific player. He made some really tough shots.”
Temple defeated Richmond 73-53 on February 17th.
“It’s an unmatched feeling,” Harper said of the win. “Winning this game was great because they beat us so handily earlier.”
Wyatt led the Owls with 15 points shooting 3-of-8 from behind the arc. Allen added 12 and Moore 11. Fernandez had game-high 10. The Owls held the Spiders to 38.9 percent from the field.
The Owls fall to 25-7 with the loss. Temple’s Randall suffered an injured foot during on February 17th and has not played since that game in Philadelphia. His status is unknown for the upcoming NCAA tournament.
Richmond’s Kevin Smith led all with 14 rebounds.
The Spiders set an A10 record Friday by scoring the fewest points (55) necessary to win a conference tournament game.
The Spiders improve to 26-7 and advance to Sunday’s final against the Dayton Flyers. The one o’clock game will be televised nationally on CBS.
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