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University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
Virginia (exhibition)
Men's Basketball Opens Preseason at UVA
10/09/2026 | Men's Basketball
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Richmond debuted a new-look lineup in its preseason opener Friday evening at Virginia, with five new starters building an early Spiders lead before UVA, one of the preseason favorites in the ACC, took control with a decisive run over the final 10 minutes before halftime. The Cavaliers went on to a 96-53 win before a crowd of nearly 12,000 at John Paul Jones Arena.
Junior guard Dominick Stewart, making his Spiders debut after two seasons at Penn State, led Richmond with 15 points, while UR's leading returning scorer Aiden Argabright added 13 points, three rebounds and a team-high three steals. Senior Collin Tanner, a four-year Spider, scored six points with three rebounds and two assists, while Andrew Ball, a grad transfer from Monmouth, added five points.
Richmond matched Virginia early and led for more than nine minutes during the game's opening stretch. Argabright opened the scoring with a jumper before Stewart scored seven of the Spiders' next nine points, including a 3-pointer that put Richmond ahead 11-9 with 16:08 remaining in the first half. Tanner followed with a layup, and after Virginia answered from beyond the arc, Argabright and Amon Dörries, an All-Patriot League center at Bucknell last season, scored on consecutive possessions to push the Spiders back in front. Jamie Kaiser Jr., a starter on the wing at Butler last year, then drilled a transition 3-pointer with 10:17 left in the half to cap an 11-3 Richmond stretch and give the Spiders their largest lead at 20-12.
Virginia responded with the game's decisive stretch, going on a 26-0 run over the next eight minutes and taking a 43-28 lead into halftime.
The Cavaliers carried the momentum into the second half, scoring the first 14 points to extend their advantage to 57-28. Argabright ended the run with a 3-pointer with 15:34 remaining, and Will Harper III connected from deep three minutes later. The Cavaliers, however, shot 64.3% from the field and 66.7% from 3-point range after halftime, scoring 53 points over the final 20 minutes to stay well in front of the Spiders.
Richmond received contributions throughout its bench in the second half. Ball scored all five of his points at the free-throw line and added a steal, Tanner scored four of his six points after halftime, freshman forward Chad Cook knocked down his only 3-point attempt and freshman guard Sam Simmons Jr. converted his only field-goal attempt. Harper finished with three points, three rebounds and three steals.
The Spiders finished 16-of-63 from the field (25.4%) and 5-of-23 from beyond the arc while converting 16 of 19 free throws. Virginia shot 50% from both the field (30-of-60) and 3-point range (14-of-28). The Cavaliers held a 54-29 advantage on the glass, including 19 offensive rebounds.
Richmond will play its second and final preseason exhibition Oct. 18 at James Madison. Tip-off in Harrisonburg is scheduled for 2 p.m. The Spiders will open the regular season Nov. 2 against UNC Asheville at the Robins Center.
