2010 Richmond Spiders Basketball: Richmond vs Dayton

On four separate occasions Thursday night, the Richmond Spiders went at least three minutes without scoring a single point. In two other instances, they failed to produce a point over the course of two and a half minutes.

On the basis of those facts, one would have thought that the Dayton Flyers would have gone into Virginia and vanquished their Atlantic 10 counterparts, earning the signature road win they so desperately needed in order to make the 2010 NCAA Tournament. Surely, a team playing defense as well as Dayton did would not - and could not - find a way to lose. Surely, a team that could create six separate scoring droughts for its opponent wouldn't possibly be bested in a 40-minute game?

Oh, how little sense the dudes from Dayton make these days.

Like the 1962 New York Mets, the failing and flailing Flyers are - in the famous words of the great Casey Stengel - "finding ways to lose I never knew existed." Caught in the clutches of chronically bad habits, Coach Brian Gregory's group of basketball players just can't seem to get out of its own way. This appreciably hard-working club once again played "just well enough to lose," as the saying goes. On yet another night of A-10 agony, the Flyers wasted a great defensive effort and were bitten by the Spiders at the Robins Center. So close to the kind of victory that would have radically improved their NCAA Tournament hopes, the Flyers must now fly home to Ohio and regroup for an A-10 Tournament they simply have to win. While this team has an outside chance of getting an at-large invite if it makes the final of the A-10 tourney, Mr. Gregory and the rest of the UD coaching staff have to assume that if they don't get their league's automatic bid, they won't be dancing come Selection Sunday.

Especially after a loss like this one.

Dayton had no business falling to coach Chris Mooney's men. It's true that Richmond has authored a fabulous season in 2010, and it's just as true that the Spiders will be a very tough out in the Big Dance because of their rock-solid backcourt of Kevin Anderson (22 points) and David Gonzalvez (14 points), who scored 11 of RU's final 12 points in a rousing come-from-behind win. Nevertheless, it boggles the mind that Dayton could create six Richmond scoring droughts of at least 2:30 in duration, and still not win.

It scrambles the brain to realize that UD owned an eight- or nine-point lead for much of the evening, including a 48-40 advantage with eight minutes left in regulation, and still couldn't hold on.

It defies all logic to contemplate the fact that the Flyers crushed the itsy-bitsy Spiders on the offensive glass, winning 14 more offensive rebounds than Richmond (20-6).

It tests a Flyer fan's patience to mention the fact that Dayton committed 20 turnovers in this tilt and continued to underperform at the offensive end of the court.

Dayton coughed up the rock 21 times in a Feb. 21 loss at Duquesne, and it's clear that - at this late stage of the season - the Flyers still can't take care of the ball. A team that once appeared to be a near-certain participant in the NCAA Tournament is now on the outside looking in because it has lost four times in its last six contests, a tailspin directly attributable to poor possessions late in games. On this night against Richmond, UD guard Marcus Johnson committed two turnovers in the final five minutes of regulation, as Richmond overcame an eight-point deficit to take a 55-53 lead with three minutes left. The Spiders then preserved that advantage for the remainder of this hugely significant showdown, as Dayton guard Chris Johnson made a timid and ill-advised foray to the hoop when the Flyers - trailing 59-56 - needed a tying 3-pointer with 16 seconds left in regulation. Johnson's shot was blocked, Richmond gathered the loose ball, and a Ryan Butler free throw sealed the win for the Spiders.

Each of Dayton's recent losses - at Saint Louis, at Duquesne, and at Temple - emerged as the result of poorly-constructed offensive possessions over the course of a 40-minute competition. That central shortcoming appeared yet again in Richmond, sabotaging a bold bid for a revitalizing road win. After yet another stomach-punch setback away from home, Dayton's NCAA hopes have now been reduced to one week in Atlantic City, N.J., one week that must undo a very nasty late-season nosedive that just got worse on Thursday in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Atlantic 10 Conference Basketball Fans

Richmond vs Dayton Basketball Recap