Anthony Kendall scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half as Richmond rallied to defeat American University 66-56 Friday night in the opener for both teams.
The Spiders, who lost their top three scorers from last season's Sweet 16 team, took control with a 9-0 run that gave them a 47-39 lead with 7:38 remaining. Kendall, a 5-foot-8 freshman guard, had a layup and two free throws during the run.
Richmond was 25 for 30 from the free-throw line in the second half to American's 6 of 9.
Cedric Lindsey added 17 points for Richmond, 11 in the first half, when he made all five of his shots.
Troy Brewer scored 22 points and Tony Wroblicky 20 to pace the Eagles.
American led by as many as nine points, 17-8, in the first half, when they made 5 of 13 shots from 3-point range to Richmond's 1 of 12.
