Wahoos bounce back with dominant road win at NC State
After a triple-OT loss earlier this week, No. 21 UVa bounced back in a big way, leading wire to wire in a 76-51 win at NC State.
Leading by as many as 27, the Wahoos (12-2, 1-1 ACC) shot 50 percent from the floor, made 13 of 33 shots from long range, and dominated the glass 36 to 24.
Back in the starting lineup, guard Sam Lewis had a game-high 23 points on 8-for-12 shooting, including a 5-for-9 game from deep. UVa also got 14 points and 6 rebounds from Thijs De Ridder, 13 points and a game-high 7 boards from Malik Thomas, and 10 points from Devin Tillis in the win.
The Wolfpack (10-5, 1-1) were led by Quadir Copeland’s 15 points in the loss, as State shot just 36 percent from the floor and made five of 20 from beyond the arc.
Virginia jumped out to a 6-0 lead, forcing Will Wade to call a quick timeout just 2:53 into the game. By the under-12, though, the Pack had made it a four-point game. But a 10-0 UVa run inside a larger 15-2 spurt made it 30-13 with 5:30 left in the half.
The Wahoos, who led by 20 at the break, lost their grip a bit and State drew closer thanks to an 11-0 run that included a technical foul on UVa’s Ryan Odom. But UVa buoyed itself, using an 8-0 run to push the lead back to 22 with 8:53 left and forcing another Wade timeout.
The Cavaliers, who gave up just nine points off of 14 turnovers, got 19 points off their bench and had 14 assists on 26 made baskets. It was only the second time all year that the Hoos failed to reach the 80-point mark.
They’re back in action on Wednesday night when they host Cal.
