No. 18 UVa rides big second half in win over Syracuse
Though it got a bit closer at the end of the first half, No. 18 UVa was able to use a big second half to beat Syracuse handedly 72-59, the team’s fourth straight victory.
The Wahoos (20-3, 9-2 ACC) were able to win comfortably despite leading by just one possession at the half.
Sam Lewis led the Cavaliers in scoring for the second game in row, putting up 16 points against the Orange after scoring 15 in a win over Pitt on Tuesday. He started the game 4-for-4 from deep. But it was Naithan George who led all scorers with 19 points on a proficient 8-for-9, his only miss coming on his last shot attempt of the game.
Ugonna Onyenso came a few hairs short of a double-double, finishing with 10 points and 8 rebounds. Jacari White, who was 0-for-8 shooting from the floor in the win over the Panthers, broke his cold streak to score 8 points on 3-for-8 shooting, including a pair of 3s.
The Hoos, who outscored the Orange 34-24 in a low-scoring second half, allowed Syracuse (13-11, 4-7) to shoot 58.3% (14-for-24) from the field in the first 20 minutes.
After a back-and-forth start to the opening stanza, UVa took a 16-8 lead thanks to a 12-0 run and led by as many as 12 with just over eight minutes left. But the Orange ( tied the game at 33-33 with 3:20 left thanks to a 12-3 run of their own, finishing the half shooting 14 of 24 shots from the field.
Despite leading just 38-35 at the break, the Cavaliers never gave up the lead, ending the game on a 7-0 run to push the final margin to double digits.
UVa’s bench performance proved to be the difference, with the reserves scoring 29 to the Orange’s seven. UVa also held a strong edge in second-chance points—putting up 17 to Syracuse’s seven—and points off turnovers (17 to eight).
Syracuse made just three of 11 shots from beyond the arc, tying its season-low for made 3s set against Northwestern in December.
