For those of you who began following this site once the regular season started, throughout last summer we had a series of videos that showed the games of Al Durham and Justin Minaya after they signed with Providence. The intent was to get Friar fans familiar with the play of the incoming transfers by showing video of their previous stints at Indiana and South Carolina.
I plan on doing the same throughout this spring and summer with PC’s latest signees.
Here’s the disclaimer I’ll add to each of these articles throughout the offseason: These videos are not meant to be purely highlights. They will certainly highlight what each of these players does well, but I will try to include every possession I watch to balance the excitement of a signing, while setting realistic expectations.
In other words, you’ll see the good, bad, and everything in-between.
Clifton Moore had a streak of 14 consecutive games in which he scored in double figures last season — a run that began on Dec. 30 with 26 points against Fordham and lasted until a 16 point outing versus Dayton on Feb. 19.
Twice during that stretch Moore enjoyed big games against what would ultimately be Providence’s second round opponent in the NCAA Tournament, Richmond.
Moore was terrific on Jan. 22 at home against the Spiders, shooting 9-12 from the floor in a 19 point, 12 rebound performance.
Three weeks later, Moore was nearly as good in the return date at Richmond. This is the game we’ll take a look at today.
La Salle came into this meeting as considerable underdogs. The Explorers were 2-9 in the Atlantic 10, while Richmond was a somewhat disappointing 7-5.
Richmond came out on top, 77-63, but the final score doesn’t tell the full story behind this one. This was a one or two possession game for the first 32 minutes before Richmond went on an 11-2 run to take a 63-52 lead with 7:24 to go.
Moore was terrific for the first 30 minutes of the game, scoring eight of La Salle’s first 11 points and being disruptive at the rim. When La Salle fell behind over the final ten minutes they began taking difficult jumpers, as opposed to finding Moore (who finished with 17 points on 6-12 shooting from the floor, 1-4 from three, and 4-5 at the free throw line — to go along with three blocks) on the block.
Moore threw down an alley oop out of a timeout with over eight minutes to play to make it a 57-51 game, but wouldn’t attempt another field goal until he missed a short shot off an offensive rebound with 2:31 on the clock.
As I’ve been saying throughout the offseason, it’s been hard not to be encouraged from I’ve seen of Moore this spring. He finishes with both hands on the block, can put the ball on the deck, face up a bit, and really pass. He is very patient in the post.
Defensively, he did a decent job against very different matchups in the undersized (but powerful) post player Nathan Cayo, and the crafty Grant Golden.
He kept La Salle close in this one for much of the game.
Video: Clifton Moore Goes for 17 Points, 3 Blocks at Richmond