Richmond 64, Charlotte 58

2/2/2008 6:34 PM

By MIKE CRANSTON
AP Sports Writer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -In this YouTube era where it seems nearly everything is caught on tape and viewed over and over, Richmond is bucking the trend.

With a no-video policy of the opposition, the Spiders have recovered from last season's 8-22 disaster to become a player in the topsy-turvy Atlantic 10.

A week after knocking off then-No. 16 Dayton, the Spiders used Kevin Anderson's 17 points and a stifling defense to shut down Charlotte leading scorer Leemire Goldwire and beat the 49ers 64-58 on Saturday.

Gaston Moliva added 12 points and Dan Geroit had 11 rebounds for the Spiders (11-9, 4-3), who won for the seventh time in 10 games.

Coach Chris Mooney's unorthodox style of not showing video of the opposing team seems to be working.

``I think it may be hard for a player to analyze other players with such a young basketball team,'' guard David Gonzalvez said. ``Our coaches, they analyze and they tell us in practice, ``This guy can do this. This guy can do that.'' We just try to focus on the scout (report) and I think that's why it's hard for teams to get off on us, sometimes.''

It certainly worked against the 49ers. Goldwire was held to five points on 1-of-9 shooting. He missed all eight of his 3-point attempts and the 49ers made 1 of 23 from long range.

Richmond, which had lost three straight to Charlotte, blew a 12-point lead early in the second half. But Anderson responded with a 3-pointer and two free throws in a game-ending 19-11 run.

``If you saw us play defense last year you would have wondered what we were doing,'' Mooney said. ``Now it looks like we're a good defensive team. We have good players. We're maturing.''

Charlie Coley had 13 points, seven rebounds and seven steals and An'Juan Wilderness had 11 points in a disappointing homecoming for Charlotte (13-7, 4-2).

Coach Bobby Lutz failed to get his 182nd win, which would have tied Jeff Mullins for the most in school history. The 49ers also dropped from the top tier of the A-10.

``We're back in the pack with everyone else,'' Lutz said. ``But we still have games to play.''

Despite its woes from 3-point range, Charlotte rallied with an energetic defense and a parade to the free-throw line. The 49ers hit 10 of 11 free throws and Coley's steal and one-handed dunk capped a 19-5 run that put Charlotte ahead 47-45 with 7:40 left.

But Richmond rallied by stopping its turnover spree. Anderson and Gonzalvez hit consecutive 3s and the Spiders went ahead 53-49. Charlotte had a chance to tie after another Coley steal, but Michael Gerrity missed two free throws with 1:12 left.

Kevin Smith and Anderson then hit four straight free throws and Richmond pulled out its second big win in as many weeks despite 22 turnovers.

``I think we're getting better,'' Mooney said. ``I love coaching this team every day and being around these guys. I think we can be good.''

Mirroring its quick start in its win over Dayton a week earlier, Richmond was nearly flawless early. The Spiders hit 12 of their first 14 shots and 5 of 6 3-pointers in building a 31-18 lead.

Richmond was getting production from everywhere, with eight players scoring in the first half. Senior Moliva, the only upperclassman in the starting lineup and coming in averaging 3.5 points a game, scored eight points in the first eight minutes on a variety of inside moves and a 3.

But unlike against the Flyers when Richmond raced to a 46-27 halftime lead, Charlotte got within 33-24 at halftime despite shooting 33 percent and 1-of-11 from 3-point range. Goldwire was 0-for-3.

``Lee forced a couple, without question. But he's made a lot of those shots to help us win, too,'' Lutz said. ``It's not like the wrong guys were shooting for us from the perimeter. They just didn't make them.''