The No. 12 Virginia basketball team traveled to No. 14 Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. and handed the Fighting Irish (17-4, 6-2 ACC) their first home loss of the season. The Cavaliers (16-3, 6-2 ACC) pulled away from Notre Dame with a 17-5 run late in the second half to earn a 71-54 win.
With the victory, Virginia extended its unbeaten streak over the Fighting Irish to 10 games and remained the only team in the ACC not to lose to Notre Dame since the school joined the conference in 2013. After leading the Fighting Irish by a slim margin of 27-26 at the half, the Cavaliers pulled away in the second half thanks to a 22 point game from senior point guard London Perrantes.
In all, Virginia had four players record double-digit scoring, as junior guard Marial Shayok tallied 10 points and junior forward Isaiah Wilkins recorded 13. Junior guard Devon Hall scored 11 points and tied for the team lead in rebounds with nine points.
Coach Tony Bennett’s packline defense proved to be too much for the Fighting Irish, as the Cavaliers kept the Fighting Irish to their lowest point total of the season. Notre Dame managed a 41.7 percent field goal shooting percentage and went three-of-18 on three point attempts. Junior forward Bonzie Colson carried Notre Dame’s offense with 20 points on the night.
Virginia appeared to be a complete team in the second half behind offensive sparks from the bench, as freshman guard Ty Jerome entered the game to score eight points in 14 minutes. The Cavaliers also out-hustled the Fighting Irish, snagging 38 rebounds compared to Notre Dame’s 22.
With the victory, Bennett earned his 250th career win. Virginia will try to keep the much-needed momentum going on the road as they travel to No. 1 Villanova Sunday afternoon.
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