University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
2-0,0-0Atlantic 10
Southern Virginia
0-0,0-0USA South
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Va. | 18 | 28 | 46 |
| Richmond | 58 | 49 | 107 |
11/05/2026 | Men's Basketball
RICHMOND, Va. — Richmond recorded its largest margin of victory in nearly 47 years Thursday night, overwhelming D-III Southern Virginia 107-46 at the Robins Center. The Spiders' 61-point win was their largest since a 132-69 victory over Bluefield on Dec. 3, 1979 and tied for the fifth-largest margin of victory in program history.
"I thought we moved the ball very well. I thought defensively we were really good. We're making progress there. Obviously, there's an opportunity to overwhelm a team like this, but we wanted to do it in a Richmond basketball way and I thought we did a good job of that," said Richmond coach Chris Mooney.
Richmond improved to 2-0 while reaching triple digits for the second time in as many games after opening the season with a 100-77 win over UNC Asheville. The Spiders shot 61.1% from the field, made 12 of 23 attempts from 3-point range and scored 64 points in the paint while forcing Southern Virginia into 25 turnovers.
Dominick Stewart led five Spiders in double figures with 17 points in just 20 minutes, making seven of his eight shots from the field. Jamie Kaiser Jr. and Will Harper III each scored 15, while Andrew Ball and Collin Tanner added 12 apiece. Harper made a career-high three 3-pointers on four attempts, while Ball finished 5-of-6 from the floor and grabbed six rebounds.
"Our offense is a whole-team thing," said Ball. "Obviously, the guys found me tonight and I just capitalized on it, so it was a good game."
Derin Saran impacted the game in nearly every way other than scoring, leading Richmond with seven rebounds, seven assists and a career-high five steals in 17 minutes. Saran, who handed out eight assists in Monday's opener, has 15 assists through his first two games as a Spider with only two turnovers.
"You can tell by the way we play we like playing with each other," said Ball. "We're all celebrating for each other. We have each other's backs. It's a good group, and we knew we had a good group in the summer. We got really close quickly."
Richmond took control from the opening tip. Kaiser scored the game's first five points before Amon Dörries converted a three-point play and added another layup as the Spiders raced to a 10-0 advantage less than two minutes into the game. Kaiser scored again off a Southern Virginia turnover and Saran added a free throw to make it 13-0 before the Knights finally got on the scoreboard with a 3-pointer at the 16:04 mark.
"I thought the starters set the tone for how we were going to play, and everybody else followed suit," said Mooney.
The lead continued to grow. Chad Cook scored in the paint, Ball connected from 3-point range and freshman Sam Simmons Jr. knocked down a triple as Richmond stretched its advantage to 25-3. Another turnover led to a Ball dunk before Harper's 3-pointer made it 31-3 with 11:30 left in the half.
Richmond entered the break ahead 58-18. The Spiders shot 57.5% in the opening half, handed out 15 assists on 23 made baskets and turned 14 Southern Virginia turnovers into 21 points.
The Spiders opened the second half with another 8-0 burst. Saran scored on Richmond's first possession before Stewart turned consecutive steals into a layup and dunk, and Ball finished another Saran steal with a transition layup to push the lead to 66-18.
Richmond continued to score even as its rotation expanded. Tanner reached double figures with a second-chance basket, Kaiser threw down a dunk and later hit his third 3-pointer, while Harper added 10 second-half points. Donovan Richardson scored all seven of his points over the final minutes, including a dunk with 59 seconds remaining that gave Richmond its largest lead at 107-43.
The Spiders shot 65.6% in the second half and finished with 59 bench points, 38 points off turnovers and a 29-6 advantage in fast-break scoring. Richmond's 18 steals were two shy of the program record of 20, accomplished against Atlantic Christian in 1977 and George Mason in 1979.
Richmond's 107 points were its most since scoring 108 against Stetson on Nov. 15, 2015. The Spiders have totaled 207 points through two games this season while shooting 59% or better from the field in both victories.
With the win, Richmond started 2-0 for the second straight season and the sixth time in the last eight years. The Spiders improved to 2-0 all-time against Southern Virginia and 6-0 against non-Division I opponents under Chris Mooney. Richmond has also won eight straight November home games.
Richmond will play away from the Robins Center for the first time this season Sunday, facing Temple at The Palestra in Philadelphia. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m on ESPN2.
"It's really exciting to play in The Palestra having grown up in Philadelphia," said Mooney. "It's a really special place, and I'm really excited to go back and be included in the 100th anniversary."
