DATE: Monday, November 17, 1997             TAG: 9711170178

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C3   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: RICHMOND                          LENGTH:   46 lines

RICHMOND SURPRISES U.VA. IN DOUBLE OT SPIDERS RALLY FROM 16-POINT FIRST-HALF DEFICIT FOR FIRST VICTORY OVER CAVALIERS SINCE 1991.

Virginia lived down to low preseason expectations Sunday night as it opened its basketball season with a double-overtime, 83-79 loss to Richmond in the Robins Center.

It was Richmond's first win over the Cavaliers since 1991.

The Cavaliers were expected to struggle during the ACC season, but the opening loss to the Spiders of the Colonial Athletic Association was a stunner.

Richmond, under new coach John Beilein, rallied from a 16-point first-half deficit.

``We lost our composure and they got hot,'' Virginia coach Jeff Jones said.

The Spiders were dominant most of the second half and in both overtime periods. They seemed on the verge of victory at the end of the first overtime session before the Cavaliers' Curtis Staples made a 4-point play to tie the score with three seconds remaining.

Richmond never trailed in the final five-minute session.

Jarod Stevenson hit four straight free throws for an 80-75 advantage with a minute left, and Marseilles Brown iced the decision with three straight free throws in the final 12 seconds.

The defeat came despite a career-high 31 points by the Cavaliers' Norman Nolan, who awoke Sunday morning with painful back spasms. Nolan was unsure he could play until going through pregame drills.

Nolan was the only Cavalier to score during a 20-minute stretch, tallying 17 straight points before Willie Dersh hit a 3-pointer late in the first overtime session.

Staples carried the Cavaliers in the first half with 16 points. He finished with 26.

Nolan and Staples combined to score all but 24 of Virginia's points.

``This loss is a very disappointing loss,'' Staples said. ``If we dwell on it, it can hurt us bad.''

Virginia plays William and Mary, another CAA team, Wednesday in Charlottesville.

Ironically, Virginia was the ``home'' team Sunday although the game was played on the Spiders' court.

``I can't imaging many teams around the country having that kind of season home-opener,'' said Jones.

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