Allen powers Richmond to upset of 14th-ranked Cal

LAS VEGAS — Richmond bounced back from a taxing loss to West Virginia — at No. 14 California's expense.

Terry Allen had a career-high 34 points and matched his career best with 13 rebounds to help Richmond beat California 94-90 on Friday night in a Las Vegas Invitational consolation game.

The Bears lost to San Diego State on Thursday night in the other semifinal.

Marshall Wood added 24 points, and ShawnDre' Jones had 22 for Spiders (4-2).

"Last night we were getting stops and couldn't get enough baskets," Richmond coach Chris Mooney said. "When we went into a drought today, we were able to snap out of it, get a score and gain momentum."

After squandering a second-half 15-point lead, and falling behind 81-77 with a little less than four minutes left, the Spiders closed on 17-9 run to pull off the upset.

"We just really tried to play together and find the open players and I think we did a good job of getting good looks and taking the right shots," Allen said. "Me personally, I just tried to block everything out around me — they're not at home and we're not at home, this is a neutral court — and knock down my shots."

The Spiders used a 21-7 run in the second half to extend their one-point halftime lead to 65-50.

After getting the first six points on free throws, Richmond received four consecutive 3-pointers from Wood in a little more than a two-minute span. Jones' off-balance trey with 14:53 left capped the run.

California's defensive effort helped it get back into the game down the stretch, and the Bears went on a 22-6 run to pull ahead late in the game.

The Spiders' shooting woes didn't help, either, as they shot a dismal 2 of 9 from the floor during a dry spell that came at the same time the Bears made 9 of 11.

After Cal took an 81-77 lead with 3:37 left, the Spiders scored the next seven points. Allen scored on a layup, Jones buried a long 3-pointer and Allen hit both ends of a one-and-one from the free-throw line.

"He's so versatile, and tonight I thought he had some plays where it looked like he just snatched the rebound and put it back up for us," Mooney said about Allen. "He was just tremendous. With all the talent out there, I think he was the best player on the court tonight."

As the Spiders crawled back into the game, the Bears (4-2) were held scoreless for a little more than three minutes, during which they missed all five of their field-goal attempts while draining any momentum they may have had for a comeback.

"It's great cause they're ranked, they're so good and they can win a ton of games," Mooney said. "That's what makes this win so good for us."

Jaylen Brown had 27 points, and Tyrone Wallace added 15 for California.

TIP INS

California: The Bears held their first five opponents to less than 40 percent shooting. Richmond, however, shot 50 percent (27 of 54) from the field, including 50 percent (9 of 18) from behind the 3-point line.

Richmond: The Spiders beat a ranked team for the 13th time since 2008. The Spiders have more wins over ranked teams over that stretch than any other Atlantic-10 team. It also was Richmond's 18th win over a Power 5 school during Mooney's tenure and second in the last nine days. Richmond beat Wake Forest on the road last week. The Spiders are 11-4 in early season neutral court tournament games since 2009.

UP NEXT

California: Hosts Seattle on Tuesday night.

Richmond: Plays at Florida on Tuesday night.