Richmond rallies past Longwood

What was supposed to be a confidence-builder heading into a difficult stretch turned out to be a near-nightmare for the University of Richmond.

Winless Longwood outplayed the Spiders for about 30 minutes before falling 65-52 last night. The Lancers (0-5) led 48-39 with 9:30 left as 3,338 at the Robins Center wondered if they were witnessing one of the biggest wins in LU hoops history.

Richmond gained the lead and control with 4 minutes left.

"We came out sluggish. They came out ready to play. We got hit in the mouth, and we responded to it in the last [several] minutes," said junior guard Kevin Anderson, whose scoring powered the Spiders late. Thirteen of Anderson's 22 points came in the second half.

"If we would have done in the last nine minutes what we did in the first 31 minutes, it would have gone right down to the wire," said Lancers' coach Mike Gillian. "When I look down at [the statistics sheet] and I see we had 19 turnovers, there had to be nine or 10 of those that were in the last 10 minutes of the game."

Increase defensive effort by the Spiders (4-1) caused those, and UR finally resumed scoring. Through a 16-minute stretch -- the last five minutes of the first half and first 11 of the second -- UR managed two hoops. During that spell, Richmond coach Chris Mooney was obviously bothered by the Spiders' performance and the officiating. His complaints to the officials drew a technical foul.

"I probably got a little bit too frustrated during the course of the game. I think our guys were frustrated," Mooney said. "I give our guys credit because they didn't panic. There was no rushed shot. There was no arguing with the officials, by them."

The comeback allowed Richmond to avoid a piercing defeat that would have exponentially compounded worries that arose when UR fell at William and Mary 78-71 last Thursday.

The Spiders have plenty to consider as they head to South Padre Island, Texas, today for the continuation of this tournament. UR faces Mississippi State on Friday, Missouri or Old Dominion on Saturday, then ODU, VCU, South Carolina and Florida in consecutive games.

Based on last night's game, Richmond could seriously struggle through that stretch. Longwood started a 6-7 center. No other Lancers starter was taller than 6-5. But LU outworked the Spiders, scored 24 points in the first 11 minutes, and had a 34-33 lead at halftime.

"We got a little too spread out and that let them get openings, and they make shots and momentum kind of picks up," said UR center Dan Geriot. "We have to be in from the beginning. We know most of the stuff they're going to run, so it's just us being focused and energized to stop them."

Richmond consistently got the ball where it wanted -- inside. But the Spiders couldn't finish plays around the basket, a problem that has surfaced a few times this season. The top contribution from a UR big man came on the defensive end. Sophomore Darrius Garrett, who's 6-9, blocked five LU shots.

"When we started defending like we can defend, the game was easy," Anderson said.

LONGWOOD (0-5)

3-point goals -- Longwood (3-14): Washington 3-7, Swecker 0-1, Carter 0-1, Mitchell 0-2, Smith 0-3. Richmond (1-10): Butler 1-2, Geriot 0-1, Harper 0-1, Anderson 0-1, Martel 0-2, Gonzalvez 0-3.

Turnovers -- Longwood (19): Smith 5, Carter 4, Dawson 3, Gee II 3, Mitchell 2, Robinson Jr., Washington. Richmond (16): (Anderson 3, Geriot 3, Duinker 2, Butler 2, K.Smith 2, Garrett 2, Harper, Gonzalvez).

Blocked shots -- Longwood (0). Richmond (9): Garrett 5, K.Smith, Brothers, Butler, Harper.

Steals -- Longwood (4): Mitchell 2, Dawson 2. Richmond (9): Anderson 3, Gonzalvez, Geriot, Martel, Garrett, Butler, K.Smith.

Technical fouls: Bench

A -- 3,338.