UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - The University of Richmond Spiders men's basketball team improved to 2-0 to start the season for the third-straight year on Tuesday night, defeating the UNCW Seahawks, 101-58, at the Robins Center.
The Spiders have won by 43 and 42 points in its first two games, matching the 1955-56 team for largest margin of victory through two games in 100 seasons of Richmond basketball. The 1955-56 defeated Hampden-Sydney 81-39 and Ranolph-Macon 96-53.
Senior Darien Brothers led four Spiders in double figures with a game-high 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-6 from three. Sophomore Kendall Anthony had 17 points, while junior Derrick Williams had 15 points and a team-high five rebounds. Sophomore Wayne Sparrow added a career-high 13 points and a game-high six assists.
After a back-and-forth start to the game, the Spiders took control of the contest midway through the first half, going on a 13-0 run. During that stretch, Brothers had five points, while Williams poured in three.
Bench play was key for the Spiders in the first 20 minutes, as Richmond took a commanding, 51-31 lead into the half. In the first frame, the Spiders' bench out-scored its UNCW counterparts, 25-9. Leading the charge was Anthony, who had 11 points thanks in part to shooting a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.
The Richmond offensive onslaught continued in the second half, as the Spiders shot a blistering 60 percent (18-of-30) in the last 20 minutes en route to a 101-58 victory over the Seahawks at the Robins Center.
For the game, Richmond out-scored UNCW 21-4 in fast break points while also holding a 52-28 advantage in bench points. For the game, the Spiders shot 58.2 percent (32-of-55) from the floor, including 14-of-28 from deep. Defensively, Richmond forced 18 Seahawk turnovers, scoring 28 points off UNCW miscues.
In total, 11 players contributed to the 101-point outburst for Richmond. The Spiders also reached the century mark last season in a 102-58 triumph over Fordham on Jan. 25, 2012.
The Richmond Spiders will host the Hampton Pirates on Thursday night at the Robins Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Richmond.
NOTES: The 2-0 start to the season is the seventh in the last 11 seasons for the Spiders ... Richmond improved to 42-8 in its last 50 games at the Robins Center with the win ... Spiders also improved to 29-4 in its last 33 home, non-conference games ... The win was Richmond's fifth-straight over UNCW overall and the ninth-straight victory over the Seahawks at the Robins Center ... Richmond scored more points against UNCW (101) than it has allowed in its first two games combined (100).
