RICHMOND, Va. – Before he took his team into this year’s National Invitation Tournament, West Virginia coach Gale Catlett figured his Mountaineers would prepare for their first-round game against Richmond much like a regular-season game. When it was over Friday night, West Virginia’s uninspired performance resembled those of its past two games, as Richmond blew out the Mountaineers, 79-56, before 8,049 at the Robins Center. ‘That wasn’t much fun. We were incoherent,’ Catlett said with a shrug. ‘I’m very disappointed.’ Richmond (22-6) shot 49.2 percent as four players scored in double figures, led by Kinte Smith’s 24 points. The Spiders, who will switch to the Atlantic 10 Conference from the Colonial Athletic Association next season, advance to the NIT’s second round on Monday and will play at Dayton, a member of the A-10. ‘Yes, it’s disappointing that we didn’t get to the NCAA tournament,’ Richmond coach John Beilein said. ‘But we’re in the postseason. We’re still playing, and that’s what these guys wanted to be doing. I knew there wouldn’t be any problem with effort tonight.’ Smith, who came in averaging only 9.1 points per game, shot 9 for 14 and added eight rebounds, five assists and three steals. ‘Why we didn’t guard him, I don’t know,’ Catlett said. ‘I don’t want to take anything away from Richmond. They played awfully well.’ Greg Stevenson, a Penn State transfer, added 18 points, while Eric Zwayer had 12 and Scott Ungerer 11 for Richmond, which enjoyed a 47-33 halftime advantage. Richmond refused to allow West Virginia back into the game, scoring seven consecutive points to start the second half for a 54-33 lead. The Spiders led by as many as 27. ‘I don’t think we expected them to come out and shoot the ball like that,’ said West Virginia senior forward Calvin Bowman, who closed his college career by leading the Mountaineers with 17 points. ‘This is as good a shooting team as I’ve seen. I give them all the credit.’ Richmond hit 10 of 26 3-point shots, including 8 of 15 in the first half. Meanwhile, West Virginia managed just 1 of 12 3-pointers but still shot 45.3 percent overall. The Mountaineers were outrebounded, 36-27. ‘I don’t know how our guys felt about playing in the NIT,’ Catlett said. ‘The game at Miami (a 73-66 loss on Feb. 28) broke our spirit.’ A 96-65 home loss to Boston College in the regular-season finale followed before the Mountaineers dropped an 82-71 decision to Villanova in the first round of the Big East tournament March 7 in New York. Before the Miami game, West Virginia had beaten Seton Hall in East Rutherford, N.J., and was hoping to get enough momentum down the stretch to gain an NCAA tournament bid. ‘We have not had the same spirit since the Miami game,’ Catlett said. ‘We never played with the same intensity.’ Chris Moss added 14 points and freshman Jay Hewitt 11 for the Mountaineers, who close the season with a 17-12 record. After West Virginia scored the game’s first basket on a follow shot by Bowman, Richmond ran off 15 consecutive points. But West Virginia chipped away and closed within three on a one-handed runner by Hewitt before Richmond regained control. The Spiders pushed the lead back to double digits on the strength of a 15-4 run.

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