UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - Led by a career-best 26 points from junior Derrick Williams, the Richmond Spiders defeated the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, 62-60, in the Bank of America Challenge on Saturday night at the Robins Center.
The win was Richmond's third straight over Wake Forest, marking the first time the Spiders have defeated the Demon Deacons in the 50-game series.
Williams notched his second-straight double-double in the victory, grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds. Sophomore Kendall Anthony joined him in double figures with 11 points, hitting all six of his free throws down the stretch.
"We executed our best down the stretch of the game," head coach Chris Mooney said following the win. "We did the things we needed to do to win and certainly made foul shots. Derrick [Williams] was tremendous from beginning to end. I am pleased with the win and looking forward to the next game."
Williams was once again a force in the paint for the Spiders in the first half, helping lead Richmond to a 39-32 lead at the break. The junior forward had 14 points in the first 20 minutes on 3-of-5 shooting from the field and 7-of-9 from the free throw line.
Freshman Alonzo Nelson-Ododa also had a solid first half for the Spiders, scoring a career-high eight points on 3-of-4 shooting including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Richmond's defense continued to put the pressure on, forcing 10 first-half Wake turnovers.
In the second half, the Spiders maintained control of the contest, pushing their lead to nine points with 11:17 left in the game on a layup from Williams. The Demon Deacons responded with a 14-4 run to take the lead with just over six minutes left to play.
The Spiders came right back and over the next five minutes, the lead changed five times and the game was tied on three separate occasions.
The biggest shot of the game came with the game tied, 54-54. With the shot clock running down, junior guard Cedrick Lindsay drove to the bucket, drawing the Wake defenders. Lindsay kicked the ball out to the right corner to a wide-open Anthony, who gave Richmond a three-point lead it would not give back, 57-54, with 1:11 left in the game.
Anthony scored seven of Richmond's last eight points, going 4-for-4 from the free throw line in that stretch to help secure the victory for the Spiders, 62-60.
The Richmond will be back in action on Tuesday when it travels to Norfolk to face in-state rival Old Dominion at the Constant Center. The game will be broadcast nationally on the NBC Sports Network, with tip-off scheduled for 6 p.m. For information on how to find the NBC Sports Network, click here.
NOTES: Richmond has won 12 of its last 19 games against teams from BCS conferences ... The victory was the fourth over an ACC school during Mooney's tenure ... The Spiders are 46-8 in their last 54 home games and 33-4 in their last 37 home games against non-conference opponents.
