BROOKLYN -- Richmond's first trip to the Atlantic 10 Tournament as the number one seed was brief, as they fell to St. Joseph's in Thursday's quarterfinals 66-61.
The Spiders raced out to a 10-0 lead to start the game behind a pair of baskets from Neal Quinn and a three from Jordan King. But the Hawks gradually erased that lead to trail by only two at the half.
"I thought our team played extremely hard," said Richmond head coach Chris Mooney. "Our effort, alertness, moving the ball, defense. I thought everything was really, really good."
In the second half the Spiders built another 10-point lead behind 21 points from Quinn and 17 more from King. But Erik Reynolds went off, leading all scorers with 30 points and the Hawks into the semifinals.
"Credit to their backcourt," said Spiders forward Isaiah Bigelow. "They played incredible. We tried a couple of things to slow them down. He (Reynolds) was taking tough shots, making tough shots."
This is the first time a number 9 seed has advanced to the A10 semifinals in 7 years.
While the Spiders season should continue, it most likely will not in the NCAA Tournament. The Spiders were picked in most projections as the automatic qualifier from the A10, but losing this early will not help their resume.
"I don't know what our NET (ranking) is right now," said Mooney. "I know there are different rules with the NIT, but I would think we're a postseason team."
Richmond is now 21-20 all-time at the A-10 tournament, 15-15 under Chris Mooney.
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