Field Level Media
Dec 9, 2020
Tyler Burton led four Richmond starters in double figures and the 19th-ranked Spiders improved to 4-0 with a home win over Northern Iowa, 78-68, on Wednesday night.
Burton had game highs of 21 points and 13 rebounds. Jacob Gilyard had 12 points and 11 assists, big man Grant Golden had 17 points and 11 rebounds, and point guard Blake Francis chipped in 16 points for Richmond.
Golden knocked down a 3-pointer with 2:46 left to answer a mini-run by the Panthers and give the Spiders a 71-61 advantage that put the game out of reach.
Francis drained a 3-pointer to stretch the Spiders' lead to 63-53 with six minutes left to end a scoring drought that began after Burton canned a 3 with 9:12 to go.
Tywhon Pickford led the Panthers with 16 points and eight rebounds.
Northern Iowa missed 16 of its 19 attempts from 3-point range, submarining a second-half comeback bid.
Richmond trailed 33-31 at halftime but used an 8-0 run sparked by Burton to claim a 46-40 advantage at the 14-minute mark.
Up next for Richmond is a matchup with No. 11 West Virginia on Sunday.
The Panthers dropped to 1-4 on the season. Northern Iowa is scheduled to host Green Bay on Saturday, then face another Top 25 foe next week when the Panthers visit No. 13 Wisconsin on Dec. 16.
--Field Level Media