Spiders stun No. 17 Xavier in final regular season game

The University of Richmond men's basketball team upset No. 17 Xavier University 80-75 on Saturday night at the Robins Center, expelling the memory of painful late-game losses from earlier during the season.

Sophomore Kevin Anderson, at 6 feet stood anywhere from six to nine inches shorter than his defenders. But Anderson seemed to be everywhere on the court Saturday night, shooting 10-for-20 from the field and 90 percent from the free throw line, en route to a career-high 29 points, often hitting layups over taller opponents while still drawing fouls.

"I'm at my most successful when I drive the lane, so I drove the lane," Anderson said. "I knew I would have to come out and be aggressive."

Xavier coach Sean Miller said that Anderson was one of the best point guards in the country.

"He is the best point guard we have played against this season," said Miller, whose team clinched the Atlantic 10 regular season title before the opening tip-off. "He is a phenomenal player. He's dynamic and we had no answer. He was spectacular."

The Spiders (17-14, 9-7 A-10) looked outmatched from the moment Xavier took the court. The Musketeers (24-6, 12-4) had a clear size advantage, and as the game progressed, Xavier became more and more physical, drawing fouls and chipping away at every lead that the Spiders put together.

Throughout the first half, the Spiders played a solid defensive game, putting pressure on Xavier in transition and forcing the Musketeers to make mistakes. Xavier shot only 46 percent from the field and 30 percent from behind the three-point line.

In contrast, the Spiders shot nearly 60 percent from the field and 57 percent from three-point range. Richmond spread the ball around, getting double digit contributions from Anderson, Jarhon Giddings and Justin Harper.

But during the second half, Xavier put forth an explosive offense, regularly getting the ball inside. Musketeer center Jason Love dunked repeatedly on Spider defenders, and forward Derrick Brown threw down an alley-oop with 15:15 left in the game. That play started a Xavier run that pulled them to within one point of the Spider lead.

But with just more than 10 minutes left and the score 54-53, Spiders forward Justin Harper had an answer.

Harper managed to work his way into the lane and dunked a pass from forward Ryan Butler. But he wasn't done. Less than a minute later, Spider forward Francis Martel missed a three-pointer. Harper caught the rebound over Love and dunked the ball in one motion, putting the Spiders up by five with 9 minutes left.

The offensive display electrified the 5,653 spectators who got to their feet and stayed on their feet for the rest of the game.

During the final minutes of the game, Xavier relentlessly pursued the Spiders' advantage, drawing to within three with 17 seconds to go. But the effort wasn't enough, and when the buzzer sounded, fans and players rushed the court.

"This win speaks for itself," Harper said. "We had some bad losses this season, but this win does unspeakable things for our confidence."

The win shows growth from a team that suffered several heart-breaking losses early in the season, including a devastating 77-76 loss to Virginia Commonwealth University.

"We've been in this situation too many times," Anderson said. "It shows that we learned from our past losses and our mistakes and we've grown as a team."

Harper finished the game with 20 points and led the team in rebounds with eight. Giddings also contributed with 12 points and four rebounds.

Spiders coach Chris Mooney said his team played as physical a game as it could have and that he was proud of how his team had competed.

The win comes just two days after athletic director Jim Miller announced a contract extension for Mooney. During four years as head coach, Mooney's Spiders have beaten every team in the Atlantic 10 conference.

The Spiders will begin the A-10 tournament in Atlantic City, N.J., on Wednesday as the No. 6 seed. They face No. 11 St. Bonaventure in the first round.

The Spiders last toppled a ranked opponent on Jan. 26, 2008, when they defeated No. 16 Dayton 80-63.

Contact staff writer David Larter at david.larter@richmond.edu