After shooting 1-5 and scoring only three points Wednesday against Appalachian State, something had to give for Virginia's Devin Smith -- and something did.
The senior unraveled 26 points on 8-13 shooting that included a deluge of three-pointers to lead the Cavaliers (4-0) over visiting Richmond, 85-58.
"He's the healthiest he's been since being at Virginia," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said. "He has a lot of courage. ... He's tough, and he's a leader, and he backs up what he says."
Smith's precision from beyond the arc was infectious. The Cavaliers shot 47 percent from three in the first half and 40 percent on the game, a far cry from their 3-15 performance against the Mountaineers.
"We made a lot of threes today," Gillen said. "You don't want to shoot too many, but if you're making them, we don't tell them to stop."
The Spiders (2-1) kept the score close for the majority of the first half until Virginia broke the game open with a string of 13 unanswered points that included three-pointers by Smith, freshman point guard Sean Singletary and sophomore J.R. Reynolds. Despite being out-shot and out-rebounded, the Cavaliers took a 47-29 lead into the break thanks to their meticulous shooting from outside. Richmond shot almost 50 percent from the field in the half, but made only one of five three-pointers and went 0-7 from the free-throw line.
"Going 0-for-7 from the free-throw line in the first half killed us," Richmond coach Jerry Wainwright said. "Those are turnovers. The game should have been a nine or 10-point difference at the half."
Many of Virginia's buckets came courtesy of the Spiders ganging up on center Elton Brown, leaving Smith and a slew of other Cavaliers uncovered on the outside.
"They were doubling Elton, and he was kicking it out, and we were making shots," Smith said. "I was just getting my feet set and knocking down shots, and Elton and the rest of the team did a good job getting me the ball."
The bull's eye may have looked enormous for the Cavaliers, but the game's deciding factor came from the other side of the ball.
"The key to tonight's game was our defense," Gillen said. "Richmond is a good executing team, but our defense was the difference."
Brown recorded 12 points and 10 rebounds on the night for his third double-double of the season and seventh of his career, but he carried heavier weight on the defensive end. Brown plopped to the ground twice to draw charges and used his hulky body to contain Richmond's Kevin Steenberge.
Steenberge was averaging 25.5 points per game coming into Sunday's matchup, but he only managed to squeeze out 14 against the Cavaliers. He was on his way to another 20-point game in the first half, making five of his first six attempts, but went scoreless from the field in the second half.
"Today was a big win," Brown said. "Anytime you win over a team that was in the NCAA last year and won a lot of big fame in the [Atlantic 10], it's big."
With the win, the Cavaliers cracked the AP Poll at No. 24, and they'll get their first chance to uphold the ranking on the road.
Virginia now faces an away stretch that includes games at Northwestern and Iowa State and versus Auburn at the Siegel Center in Richmond. The 18-, 17- and 27-point wins for the Cavaliers in their first three home contests were decisive, but their merit will be proven away from the welcoming circle of University Hall.
"You have to hold serve at home -- that's very important," Gillen said. "But you have to win on the road. We have to show that we're tough enough to win on the road."
RICHMOND (2-1)
Thomas 3-4 0-0 7, Bucknor 0-3 0-0 0, Steenberge 5-9 4-8 14, Merritt 3-5 4-4 10, Scott 1-2 0-1 2, Mayes 0-1 1-2 1, Sanders 1-5 0-0 2, Moliva 2-4 4-6 8, O'Malley 1-7 2-2 5, Nelson 3-7 0-2 7, Crank 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 20-49 15-25 58.
VIRGINIA (4-0)
Smith 8-13 5-6 26, Clark 3-3 1-2 7, Brown 4-9 4-8 12, Reynolds 3-10 0-0 9, Singletary 3-8 3-4 11, Campbell 0-0 0-0 0, Bannister 0-5 5-6 5, Soroye 0-1 0-0 0, Forbes 3-7 4-6 10, Ravenell 0-0 0-0 0, Joseph 1-3 0-0 3, Cain 0-0 0-0 0, Minter 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 26-55 22-32 85.
Halftime-Virginia 47-29. 3-Point goals-Richmond 3-11 (Thomas 1-1, O'Malley 1-3, Nelson 1-3, Merritt 0-1, Mayes 0-1, Bucknor 0-2), Virginia 11-27 (Smith 5-10, Reynolds 3-9, Singletary 2-4, Joseph 1-2 Forbes 0-2). Fouled out-none. Rebounds-Richmond 32 (Sanders 8), Virginia 35 (Brown 10). Assists-Richmond 12 (Merritt 5), Virginia 16 (Reynolds 6). Total fouls-Richmond 25, Virginia 25. A-7,506.
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