University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
1-0,0-0Atlantic 10
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UNC Asheville
0-1,0-0Big South
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNC Asheville | 27 | 50 | 77 |
| Richmond | 56 | 44 | 100 |
11/02/2026 | Men's Basketball
RICHMOND, Va. — Richmond shared the ball at a historic rate in its season opener Monday night, piling up 28 assists — its most since 2015 and three shy of the program record — while six Spiders scored in double figures in a 100-77 victory over UNC Asheville at the Robins Center. Richmond shot 59% from the field and 52% from 3-point range while assisting on 28 of its 36 field goals, its most helpers since recording 29 vs Stetson on Nov. 15, 2015.
"We can be a really, really good offensive team with playmakers and ball handlers and shooters," said Spiders coach Chris Mooney.
"We pride ourselves in moving the ball and everybody touching it and constantly moving the defense. That's pretty much our identity here," said junior guard Dominick Stewart, who made an immediate impact in his Richmond debut with 29 points, a career high.
Stewart made nine of his 12 shots from the field, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, and added five rebounds and three assists. Stewart's previous career high during his two seasons at Penn State was 18 points. Jamie Kaiser Jr. added 16 points, all in the first half, and four 3-pointers, while Derin Saran scored 15 and led all players with eight assists, the most by a Spider since the 2022-23 season.
"It was definitely fun," said Stewart. "My teammates definitely kept finding me. All I was doing was cutting and getting easy baskets, so it was definitely fun to finally go out there and compete with them in a real, official game."
"He can do a lot of things for us because he's like having a third guard on the floor if he's playing forward," said Mooney of Stewart. "He made some shots and some really, really crafty plays, which we're used to seeing."
Aiden Argabright, Amon Dörries and Andrew Ball each scored 10 points to give Richmond six double-figure scorers. Argabright added career highs with seven assists and five steals. Dörries led Richmond with six rebounds and set career highs with seven assists and five blocked shots while making all five of his attempts from the field.
"We ask so much of our centers, and he's capable of it," said Mooney. "He has a chance to be very, very good."
UNC Asheville held an early 8-7 edge less than two minutes into the game before Stewart answered with a 3-pointer to put Richmond ahead for good. The Spiders quickly began to create separation, scoring 10 straight points to turn an 18-12 advantage into a 28-12 lead midway through the half, then continued pulling away behind its defense and transition offense. Kaiser scored 16 first-half points, including four 3-pointers, while Stewart also had 16 before halftime.
"This particular group could be a really good transition team because everybody you throw the ball ahead to has the ability to do something — make a play, catch and shoot, keep us going," said Mooney. "We need to play to that and make sure that we get out in transition and get guys opportunities going to the basket and really try to push the pace of most games, because I think that's a big advantage for us."
Richmond closed the opening half with another surge, stretching a 35-22 advantage to as many as 30 before Stewart scored with five seconds remaining to send the Spiders into halftime ahead 56-27. UR assisted on 17 of its 21 first-half field goals, made eight of 15 attempts from 3-point range and turned 13 UNC Asheville turnovers into 16 points. The Spiders also recorded nine first-half steals.
The Spiders kept their foot on the gas early in the second half. Argabright opened the period with his fifth steal before assisting on a Saran layup, Stewart followed with a 3-pointer and Dörries threw down consecutive dunks as Richmond pushed its advantage to 68-35. Ball's layup with 13:16 remaining gave the Spiders their largest lead of the night at 76-41.
UNC Asheville found more offense over the final 13 minutes, beginning with an 8-0 run that cut the margin to 27. The Bulldogs eventually trimmed Richmond's lead to 16 at 89-73 with 2:19 remaining. Stewart stopped the push with his fourth 3-pointer, then added two free throws before Saran connected from deep. Argabright put the finishing touch on the night, knocking down a late 3-pointer to push Richmond to 100 points.
The Spiders have now won eight consecutive season openers and improved to 19-3 in openers under head coach Chris Mooney. Richmond also moved to 2-0 all-time against UNC Asheville and 11-4 against current Big South opponents under Mooney.
Richmond will remain home Thursday to face Southern Virginia at 7 p.m. at the Robins Center.
