Spiders top century mark in blowout win, 101-58, over Seahawks

The University of Richmond men's basketball team took an early lead and never looked back, defeating University of North Carolina-Wilmington 101-58 in its second game of the season Tuesday.

"I thought our pressure and intensity dictated tonight's game in our favor," coach Chris Mooney said.

After a back-and-forth start with a brief tie, Richmond gained momentum. The Spiders took the lead and never lost it, ending the first half 51-31 and extending that lead into the second half.

UNCW never got closer than 21 points in the second half, but a highlight for the team was going 19-19 for free throws. Keith Rendleman led the Seahawks as the only player in double figures, with 12 points.

Senior Darien Brothers led the Richmond team offensively with 21 points, including three from beyond the arc.

Three other Spiders finished in double figures, including junior Derrick Williams (15 points) and sophomores Kendall Anthony (17 points) and Wayne Sparrow (13 points).

Anthony said that being up by so many points had been great because it gave everybody an opportunity to get a feel for one another.

The freshmen are great players, Anthony said. "I always knew they could do it," he said. "They were great players in high school. Coming to college is not easy, but they're working hard."

Freshman Deion Taylor scored a three-pointer for the first points of his college career, finishing with five points and a rebound. "It's good to get out there, get some minutes in, make mistakes and learn from those mistakes," he said.

Sophomore Zach Chu scored the last points of the game with a pair of three-pointers, ending the game with a 43-point margin win, comparable to the 42-point margin in the Spiders' first game.

Mooney said the team seemed to be getting better. "The most important aspect is to run," he said. "Second is to have guards that can make decisions. We have that in Kendall and Cedrick and Wayne, also."

Being able to have freshmen in the game was benefiting them, Mooney said. "These incidents are hard to come by; to have two in a row is great," he said.

Next up for Richmond is a third home game against the Hampton Pirates at 7 p.m. on Thursday. The Spiders will then travel to play Minnesota at 7 p.m. on Sunday.

Contact reporter Mia Lichter at mia.lichter@richmond.edu