Two of the hottest teams in the ACC squared off Sunday night as the No. 3 Virginia men’s basketball team took on an NC State squad coming off of two top-25 upsets. Though the Cavaliers (16-1, 5-0 ACC) struggled with turnovers and rebounding at times, they rode a take-over performance from senior guard Devon Hall to a 68-51 win over the gritty Wolfpack (12-6, 2-3 ACC).
Virginia was in cruise control for most of the first half, shutting down the Wolfpack offense while looking efficient in its own offensive game plan. The team jumped out to a 28-12 lead before the last timeout of the half. Hall led the Cavaliers with 10 points in the half — cashing in both of his three point attempts — while sophomore guard Ty Jerome paced the team with eight points.
The Cavaliers began to lose steam at the end of the first half, with turnovers letting NC State back into the game. Virginia committed an uncharacteristic eight turnovers in the first half, and let the Wolfpack grab eight offensive boards. Despite NC State shooting only 33.3 percent from the floor and not making a three in the half, second-chance points kept the Wolfpack afloat. The Cavaliers took a 30-20 lead into halftime.
Virginia quickly snagged a 7-0 run to start the second half. Hall continued his outstanding performance with 15 points in the half, getting the Cavaliers out of multiple scoring ruts with his three-point stroke and aggressiveness in the paint. He was aided by 11 second-half points from sophomore guard Kyle Guy, who made three big shots from beyond the arc to help cement the victory.
The Cavaliers’ 15 turnovers kept the team from putting away the Wolfpack before the end of the game, but a strong defensive performance and efficient shooting prevented NC State from getting within striking distance. Virginia only allowed two three-pointers on defense — one in the final minute with the game out of reach — and forced 15 turnovers.
Hall delivered the best scoring performance of his career with 25 points, single-handedly taking over the game when the Cavaliers needed it. Guy added 17 points and senior forward Isaiah Wilkins chipped in 10 points and six rebounds as well.
Virginia remains undefeated and the red-hot Cavaliers hit the road for their next two matchups against Georgia Tech and Wake Forest.
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