Richmond Spiders defeat Iowa, advance to second round of NCAA tournament

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - University of Richmond’s men’s basketball team defeated 5 seed Iowa at the Keybank Center in Buffalo, New York.

The final score was 67 to 63, with Justin Gilyard and Tyler Burton leading the way for the Spiders.

Students, staff and alumni packed into the Robins Center on the campus of the University of Richmond on Thursday.

Crowds were excited to cheer on the 12 seed Richmond Spiders as they took on 5 seed Iowa.

“They looked passed us. They thought they were gonna crush us, but here we are. We’re not doing down that easy,” Senior Jack Rielly said.

The Spiders’ last tournament appearance was in 2011 when they made a run to the sweet 16.

Richmond Junior Tyler Burton was expected to be a crucial player for Richmond. Six-foot-seven Burton averages 16.3 points per game.

Richmond needed to play strong defense against Iowa’s sophomore Keegan Murray who averages 23.6 points per game.

The Spiders will rely on their group of seniors to lead the team under the coaching of Chris Mooney.

Richmond will face Providence in the second round on Saturday.

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