Box Score RICHMOND, Va. – Richmond went on a 26-9 run early in the second half and cruised to a 75-57 win over the University of South Alabama men's basketball program Sunday afternoon at the Robins Center.

The Spiders (9-1) made 12 of their first 14 attempts overall and all six 3-point shots after halftime, and opened the half with a 32-15 rally. Richmond's first three conversions were from distance, then later in the half went 3 for 3 over a span of 1:20 for a 15-point advantage.

Richmond used a 10-3 burst midway through the period to open up its largest lead of the contest, 71-45 with 4 ½ minutes remaining.

Seniors Herb McGee and Andre Fox scored 12 points each for the Jags. Senior Josh Ajayi had 11 points and graduate Chad Lott tallied 10 points and nine rebounds.

GAME FACTS
- After the Jaguars grabbed an early lead, the Spiders used an 11-2 run to go up 16-11 at the 10-minute mark
- USA battled back and scored eight unanswered points to regain the advantage at 21-18, but Richmond closed the half on an 11-3 spurt to lead 29-24 at the break
- The Spiders got two treys from Jacob Gilyard, one from Nick Sherod and a layup from Nathan Cayo to open up a 40-30 lead early in the second half
- A layup from Ajayi and two free throws by Lott cut the margin to eight, but Richmond outscored South Alabama 23-8 over the next 6 ½ minutes, capped off by an alley-oop from Andre Gustavson at the 7:31 mark
- Back-to-back buckets from Gilyard gave UR its largest lead of the contest, 71-45 with 4:30 to play
- Sherod led all scorers with 17 points and added nine rebounds
- Gilyard and Blake Francis added 15 points apiece, and Gustavson contributed 10

NOTES
- Richmond is receiving votes in the most recent Associated Press poll
- UR has won each of the three games in the series, all since 2014
- Ajayi moved into a tie for eighth in school history with Demetric Bennett with 1,405 career points
- Ajayi also recorded his 500th career field goal, and ranks 10th in that category (504)
- Fox has scored in double-digits in every game this season
- USA was held under 69 points and 44% shooting for the first time this season
- McGee's point total and three 3-pointers are a new season high
- Richmond shot 51.7% from the floor and 44.0% from 3-point land
- Seven of Lott's rebounds came on the offensive end; he is second on the team in offensive rebounds (21)

THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Richie Riley
Opening statement: "It's disappointing. Our lack of fight and competitive spirit is the most disappointing thing. We missed open shots and a lot of shots around the rim, but the most disappointing thing is our lack of fight and competitiveness. That's been a problem for us when we've played good teams. They've thrown some punches and we haven't punched back. That's been consistent with this group, and as the head coach, I've got to get us to where we've got more resolve and fight. Trust me, we're working at it, but it hasn't shown on the court, and definitely not today."

On Richmond's strong start to the second half: "They have good players. I said it before the game: I think they're a top-25 team and they're the best offensive team that we've played. So when you give them clean looks and you're not giving a high level of effort defensively, then they're going to make those; that's what good players do. We stopped competing for large segments of the second half. You can't do that against a good team. When things are going poorly for you, you have to be able to bow up, find a way to get some stops, get some tough baskets and keep yourself in it. We weren't able to do that. They made shots, we didn't, we folded up and they finished us off."

UP NEXT
The Jaguars return to action at home on Dec. 17, starting a four-game homestand against Alabama A&M at 7 p.m.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the South Circle, the unrestricted giving option of the University of South Alabama Athletics. Contributions to South Circle directly support all 17 sports in addition to various support programming. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/give

—USA—