Spiders bounce back, blast Vanderbilt Blake Francis (Source: University of Richmond) By Marc Davis | December 16, 2020 at 11:18 PM EST - Updated December 16 at 11:18 PM NASHVILLE, TN (WWBT) - Blake Francis scored 21 points and Richmond opened up a 24 point halftime lead, fueling the Spiders to a 78-67 win over Vanderbilt in Nashville on Wednesday afternoon. The team’s 5-1 record matches the best start in Chris Mooney’s 16 seasons as head coach. Richmond wasted no time coming out of the gate, jumping out to a 20-5 lead and used a 77 percent shooting performance to go into the locker room up 45-21 at halftime. The Commodores would chip away and pull to within nine midway through the second half, but the Spiders were able to handle the run and hold them off, grabbing a key road victory over an SEC opponent.