Shumpert dominated the first half en route to a 25-24 Yellow Jackets lead at the break, but had leg cramps in the second and played just 7 minutes.
Georgia Tech (6-4) extended its lead with a more balanced attack, getting points from seven players while hitting 60.9 percent from the floor (14 of 23).
"I thought today was the first time we played like a Georgia Tech team," Yellow Jackets coach Paul Hewitt said. "We played with a level of toughness, especially on the defensive end because Richmond is a very good team. They came into this game as one of the top shooting teams in the nation, and we held them to 39 percent. These guys should be proud of their effort."
Richmond led briefly at 36-34, then the Yellow Jackets went on a 12-2 run, capped by Kammeon Holsey's jumper.
The Spiders (8-3) cut it to 49-44 with 6:12 left, but could get no closer.
Maurice Miller scored nine of his 11 points after the break and Mfon Udofia had eight of his nine for Georgia Tech. Glen Rice scored all nine of his points in the final 10:45.
"Glen's a very good ballhandler," Hewitt said. "When Iman started having cramping problems, it was up to Glen to get it done. He rushed one early and got called for an offensive foul, but he settled down and really was the key in the second half."
Shumpert scored his 18 first-half points by going 6 of 14 from the floor and hitting four free throws. His only field-goal attempt in the second half was a missed 3-pointer. He made two free throws with 6:27 to go and a foul shot with 23 seconds left.
Justin Harper had 15 points to lead Richmond, which was trying for its second-best start in 76 years.
The Spiders, who came into the game hitting 51.2 percent of their shots, seventh-best in the nation, made just 33.3 percent in the first half (8 of 24) and 39.2 percent for the game (20 of 51).
Paul Hewitt
http://accesswdun.com/article/2010/12/234648