Things looked bad for Richmond in its first-round NCAA Tournament game against Vanderbilt. The Spiders fell behind by double digits and struggled to deal with Vanderbilt on the offensive end. But one play changed the tide.
Vanderbilt center Festus Ezeli elbowed Richmond center Dan Geriot in the face going for a rebound attempt, picking up an intentional foul and stopping the game for several minutes as blood was cleaned up. The play seemed to fire up the Spiders, who ended the half on a 14-6 run to cut Vanderbilt's lead to 35-32 at halftime.
Ezeli picked up an intentional foul on the play, but is still in the game. He has been dominating the Spiders, with 13 points and two blocked shots. Meanwhile, both of Richmond's big guns have struggled. Kevin Anderson has nine points, but needed 10 shots to get there, while Justin Harper has just four points on 1-6 shooting.
The winner will take on Morehead State after its stunning win over No. 4 seed Louisville earlier in the day.