DENVER – Justin Harper scored 19 points and grabbed six rebounds to keep Richmond’s dream season alive and bring Morehead State’s to an end Saturday as the Spiders posted a 65-48 victory in the third round of the NCAA tournament.

The win puts 12th-seeded Richmond (29-7) back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1988. The Spiders, who have won nine straight and 13 of their last 14, will play the winner of Sunday’s Kansas-Illinois game in the semifinals of the Southwest Regional at San Antonio on Friday.

Richmond, which made 12-of-24 3-pointers in its win over Vanderbilt on Thursday, didn’t have its best outing from beyond the arc, converting 4 of 15 on Saturday. The Spiders made up for it with stingy defense. No. 13 seed Morehead State (25-10) finished shooting 35 percent from the field and making just 2-of-16 3-point attempts.

The Spiders held a 30-21 advantage at the half and were never seriously threatened after pulling away from a 4-4 tie five minutes into the game.

Kevin Anderson had 14 points and four assists for the Spiders, while Dan Geriot added 13 points and seven rebounds.

The loss ended the career of Morehead State’s Kenneth Faried, the NCAA’s all-time leading rebounder in the freshman eligible era (1973-present). He finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds.