Spiders Drop A-10 Tournament Opener to Davidson

Wednesday, March 12

Washington, D.C.

11:30 AM

University of Richmond

10-22,5-13Atlantic 10

Davidson

17-15,6-12Atlantic 10

Richmond

Davidson

03/12/2025 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Postgame Press Conference (Both Teams)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The matchup of the 12 and 13 seeds at this year's A-10 Tournament was unsurprisingly tight Wednesday in Washington, D.C., as Davidson nipped Richmond 69-65 in the first game of the event. The outcome was in doubt until the final seconds, when a potential go-ahead three-pointer from B. Artis White bounced off the back of the rim.

"We've had a lot of great games with Davidson over the years, and today was another one. Unfortunately, we just recently seem to be able to do everything better … everything but win," said Spiders coach Chris Mooney, who was coaching in his first A-10 Tournament game at Capital One Arena since leading UR to the 2022 A-10 tournament title over Davidson.

Neither team led by more than seven points throughout the game, with Richmond building a six-point lead late in the first half and Davidson answering with a 17-4 stretch spanning the first and second halves to build its largest lead at 41-34 with 17:34 to play.

Outside of that run, the teams traded baskets for much of the game, but the Spiders made one shot fewer than they needed to. White's potential game-winner came after UR forced a Davidson turnover in the backcourt with 15 seconds remaining. Moments before, White had hit a three-pointer to trim Richmond's deficit to 67-65 with 21 seconds on the clock.

White led Richmond with 17 points, hitting five of his eight shots from three-point range. Mike Walz added 16 points and led UR with 10 rebounds and four assists, becoming the fourth Spider to record a double-double in an A-10 Tournament game (Tyler Burton, Derrick Williams, Justin Harper).

"I think Mike played a tremendous game," said Mooney. "He had a couple of really good passes for us and was tough."

Dusan Neskovic, who led Richmond with 14.5 points per game during conference play, was hampered by a dislocated finger he suffered in the first half. He played sparingly thereafter, finishing with eight points.

"That's a difficult thing to deal with. I think he got hit in the face also on the same play. He probably was not at 100 percent," said Mooney.

DeLonnie Hunt, who led Richmond in points, steals, assists, and minutes per game during the season, played for the first time since breaking his left foot on January 8.

"it was really big for me to be able to walk off on my own two [feet]," said Hunt. "I felt like I had something to give. Whether it was on the stat sheet or not, it just felt like me being out there and having a presence, even if it didn't do anything to Davidson it did something for our guys. … If there's an ounce of 'healthy' in me I'm going to give it a go. I put everything on the line for these guys."

"He's probably two-and-a-half weeks earlier than his projected date of return, had one practice, and is trying everything he can to play," said Mooney of Hunt, a two-time Spiders captain. "He's a tremendous person, a tremendous competitor. He really embodies everything you'd want in a college athlete."

Richmond finished the season 10-22, dropping its final five games.

"I love Richmond and our time there and I'm deeply disappointed that we didn't have a better season," said Mooney. "Richmond basketball is really important to a lot of people and I feel like if you didn't watch us closely then maybe you didn't see the development and growth and improvement because you have to win more games. I'm disappointed in that and motivated to make sure that we can be much better in the future."