Jan. 16, 2008

Box Score|Season Stats|Game Notes l Watch

RICHMOND, Va. - A 20-5 Richmond run to the start the second half broke open a one-point game at halftime as the host Spiders downed St. Bonaventure 75-64 in their Atlantic 10 home opener on Wednesday night at the Robins Center.

The Spiders scored a combined 61 points in the paint (40) and at the free throw line (21-30) as they overcame a 2-for-19 shooting performance beyond the arc to improve to 9-7 overall and 2-1 in the conference. The loss is the sixth in the last seven games for the Bonnies (6-11, 0-3) and their 10th consecutive road loss, dating back to last season.

Seniors Tyler Relph and Zarryon Fereti led the way for the Brown and White, netting 20 and 16 points, respectively. Relph scored 13 of his team-high 20 points in the second half and went a perfect 7-of-7 from the line. Fereti fell one rebound shy of his first career double-double as he added nine boards.

St. Bonaventure trailed by one point at the break, 25-24, as points came at a premium in the first half for both squads. Foul trouble had a hand in the Bonnies offensive woes as starters Tyler Benson (3 fouls) and D'Lancy Carter (2 fouls) missed a majority of the opening 20 minutes.

Led by freshman point guard Kevin Anderson, Richmond was able to shake-off any offensive rust it had in the early stages of the second half it opened on a 20-5 run for a 45-29 lead. Anderson netted 12 of his 20 points in the opening eight minutes of the final frame. St. Bonaventure aided the Spiders fast start by capitalizing on just 2-of its first 14 possessions of the second half.

The Richmond held a 17-point edge, 55-38, with 7:48 remaining until a 12-4 Bonaventure scoring spurt injected life into the visitors. Carter converted a pair of field goals during the run, while Benson buried his second and third three-pointers of the game to help make it a 59-50 game with 5:08 left.

Success on the offensive ended translated into stops on the defensive end until sophomore Ryan Butler's three-pointers as the shot clock was winding down took the life out of the St. Bonaventure run. The Spiders proceeded to roll-off the game's next seven points to recapture their 16-point lead, 66-50, and their fifth win in the last six games.

Both teams shot an even 50 percent from the field in the second half and finished above 46 percent for the game. The Bonnies nearly equaled their scoring output from the first 30 minutes of the game (34) with 30 points in the final 10. Despite shooting better in the second half, the Brown and White committed one more foul (24) than it had field goals (23).

Senior Michael Lee was held to a season-low two points and saw limited action in the second half. Lee wore protective goggles during the game and was still feeling the effects of having stitches below his right eye.

Three players, all underclassmen, finished in double figures for Richmond, led by sophomore Dan Geriot's 23 points.

St. Bonaventure will now have a week off from game action until it heads to Pittsburgh, Pa. on Wednesday, January 23, to take on Duquesne. Tipoff at the A.J. Palumbo Center is scheduled for 9 p.m. and will be televised regionally on CSTV.