UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - The University of Richmond Spiders men's basketball team began its 100th season in impressive fashion on Friday night, dismantling Liberty, 84-42, at the Robins Center. The victory marked Richmond's (1-0) 13th-straight season-opening win.
Senior Darien Brothers led three players in double-figures with a game-high 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Junior Cedrick Lindsay had 12 points, while sophomore Kendall Anthony scored 11 and dished out four assists.
The Spiders took early control of the game on Friday night, as Brothers led Richmond in a 12-0 run to open the contest, hitting a pair of 3-pointers. The Richmond defense was too much for the Flames to handle early, as Liberty didn't score its first bucket till the 14:01 mark.
After the early run, the Spiders continued to push their lead over the Flames, taking a 41-21 lead into the break. In the first 20 minutes, Richmond shot a blistering 53.6 percent on 15-of-28 shooting from the floor. Showing tremendous offensive balance, nine Richmond players scored in the first half. Defensively, the Spiders forced Liberty into eight turnovers in the first stanza, scoring 15 points off Flames' miscues.
The second half was more of the same for Richmond. Liberty cut the Spider advantage to 16 early in the second stanza, but Richmond dominated the final 18 minutes, out-scoring the Flames 43-17. Thanks to a terrific team effort on both ends of the floor, the Spiders cruised to an 84-42 season-opening win over Liberty.
On the night, Richmond out-scored the Flames 24-14 in the paint while netting 30 points off 18 Liberty turnovers. Bench points were 37-16 in favor of Richmond, as 12 of the 14 players who played scored a bucket.
The stifling Spider defense held Liberty to just 26.0 percent shooting (13-of-50) on the night, while the 42 points allowed are the fewest since Richmond defeated Southern, 81-40, on November 23, 2010.
Junior Derrick Williams finished just two points shy of a double-double, totaling eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds, while redshirt freshman Trey Davis had a solid all-around effort with four points, six rebounds and four assists.
The Richmond Spiders men's basketball team returns to the court on Tuesday, November 13 when the team plays host to the UNCW Seahawks at the Robins Center at 7 p.m.
NOTES: Richmond is 62-38 all-time in season openers ... Spiders are 41-8 in their last 49 home games overall and 28-4 in their last 32 non-conference home contests ... 14 players saw time in the victory for Richmond, with six making their collegiate debuts.
