Coming off a series of fiercely competitive conference battles, Virginia finally played a game whose outcome was never in doubt. Led by Sean Singletary's 20 points and Tunji Soroye's seven rebounds, the Cavaliers (13-9, 6-5 ACC) coasted to a 91-56 rout of Longwood Wednesday evening at U-Hall in front of a generously listed crowd of 7,652.
Virginia coach Dave Leitao, however, was less than thrilled with the intensity level put forth by his squad throughout the matchup. The Lancers were able to notch a 59.1 shooting percentage in the first half.
"Games like this are very difficult to play, as much emotionally as anything else," Leitao said. "I thought we were very loose, especially in the first half. By not setting a tone, I don't think we did anything today to get ourselves better prepared for the stretch run of the regular season. I'm disappointed because 59 percent is a very high number against a team that on paper you should not be giving up that to."
Every player on Virginia's roster got some playing time, including junior walk-on guard Matt Deasey. Senior guard Bill Cambels scored eight points and dished out a career-high five assists. Seldom-used junior forward Mike Forkin saw seven minutes of playing time during which he scored a career-high five points and pulled down three rebounds. Freshman walk-on Drew Shiembob recorded four points and two rebounds.
"Fortunately we could use other people today because of the score to both get them some time and also to reward the walk-ons for the job that they do," Leitao said.
Junior guard J.R. Reynolds scored 16 points on five-of-13 shooting that included four three-pointers. Reynolds's first-half effectiveness was limited by being saddled with two early fouls. Eleven of his 16 points came in the second half. Sophomore Adrian Joseph was third on the team in scoring with 11 points.
"Once I got into a rhythm, I was able to stay in the game," Reynolds said. "I just wanted to play aggressively and the shots were falling."
Virginia was able to build a 58-34 lead at halftime by shooting 21-34 from the field. Singletary knocked down three three-pointers in the first 20 minutes and scored 15 overall first-half points. Joseph knocked down four of six first-half shots for 10 points.
The game got ugly in the second half as Virginia only outscored the Lancers by 11 in the final 20 minutes. The Cavaliers' offense cooled down as Virginia shot 12 of 33 in a half that featured sloppy play by both sides. Virginia out-rebounded the Lancers for the game 40-35 overall and turned the ball over 14 times compared to Longwood's 18.
"I'll take the win," Leitao said. "I'm not going to give that back. But the team knows that when we get back to the gym tomorrow, I'm not going to be very happy. Again, we're still learning. We're not as mature as we need to be. That's why we've won a lot at home and not a lot on the road."
Junior guard T.J. Bannister saw his first action in four games. He has been ailing from a sports hernia.
By the latter minutes of the contest, the only drama was about when Deasey would be summoned from his perch on the bench to enter the game. Fans began to chant his name well before the 10-minute mark but the Pennsylvania native did not enter the game until there were a mere 56 seconds left. He air-balled his only shot attempt with six seconds left.
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