This, evidently, is what 10-on-1 basketball looks like.
Clemson had Will Solomon, the ACC's leading scorer, but Virginia's overwhelming depth was more than enough for a comfortable 76-62 win last night at University Hall.
Third-year floor general Donald Hand poured in 21 points to lead four Cavs in double figures, while swingman Adam Hall smothered Solomon, limiting the sophomore guard to 13 largely meaningless points.
"That was the best defense we've played in a long time," Cavalier Coach Pete Gillen said. "Adam Hall did a tremendous job on Will Solomon and the rest of his teammates helped him out when Will penetrated. You don't stop a Will Solomon by yourself. He had 13 points, but we slowed him down a bit. He had to earn it."
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The Cavaliers (17-8, 7-5 ACC) dominated their feline foes from the opening tip, bursting to a 23-8 lead on the strength of stifling full-court and half-court defense. The Tigers (9-16, 3-9) did not crack double digits until only six and a half minutes remained in the first half, which ended with Virginia up 38-21. Solomon, who dropped 43 points on the Cavs in a 98-91 Virginia win Jan. 15, had only two points before the break and those came on a fast-break goaltending call.
Clemson was almost completely unable to chip away at the deficit in the second half. A pull-up three-pointer by second-year forward Chris Williams, who contributed 16 points and seven rebounds, pushed the Virginia lead to 55-30 with 14 minutes left. The Tigers' fate was all but sealed.
"We don't usually get out of the gate real quickly," Gillen said. "And then the lead didn't dissipate. In the second half, we lost a little bit of concentration, but that's difficult to sustain for the whole game.
Hand and Williams, who were joined in double figures by first-year guard Roger Mason Jr. and Hall, led an efficient Virginia offense. Just a week ago, the Cavaliers shot only 27 percent from the floor at Georgia Tech, but last night they fired at a 45 percent clip and hit a third of their attempts from behind the arc.
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Clemson Coach Larry Shyatt said he was impressed by "not only their energy, their enthusiasm, their athleticism, but when they shoot the ball well, they're as good as any ballclub in this league. That's proven by that [109-100 overtime loss Jan. 5 against No. 3] Duke ... where they shot the ball well."
Hand's 21-point night followed his 17-point performance in Saturday's 88-82 win against N.C. State. He and Solomon each attempted 13 shots from the field, but the Clemson star hit only four, half as many as his Cavalier counterpart.
"When [Donald] gets it rolling, he's tough," Gillen said. "He was feeling it tonight. I thought he had his rhythm. He hit some big shots."
With a pair of home wins under their collective belt, the Cavs now embark on a two-game road swing that will see them travel to North Carolina and Florida State.
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