Virginia shredded Syracuse’s vaunted 2-3 defense here Monday evening in routing the Orange 81-58. The Cavaliers are now a perfect 7-0 in ACC action and 11-2 overall.
How? With excellent ball movement, crisp passing, red-hot shooting from beyond the arc – and the two-headed monster of Jay Huff and Sam Hauser.
Virginia blitzed Syracuse from three-point land, connecting on 14-of-31 from behind the arc. UVA had 23 assists on 29 made baskets.
Hauser led the shooting barrage, hitting 7-of-13 three-point attempts accounting for his game-high 21 points. The Marquette transfer scored 15 of his 21 points in the opening 20 minutes of play.
While Hauser did the bulk of his damage from the perimeter, Huff scored most of his points from point-blank range – as in dunks, many on passes from Kihei Clark, who had nine assists on the evening.
Virginia never allowed Syracuse to get into an offensive flow. The Orange made just 38 percent from the floor, including a woeful 5-of-24 from behind the line.
Syracuse, after opening a quick 4-0 lead fell, trailed by as many as 12 in the first half, and it was 35-26 UVA at the break.
Any thoughts of an Orange comeback was quickly erased on the Cavaliers first two second-half possessions as Virginia nailed back-to-back threes to go up 15.
It never got closer than 11 thereafter.
Virginia is off until Saturday when the ‘Hoos travel to Blacksburg to battle Virginia Tech.
Story by Scott German
Team Notes
- The Cavaliers (11-2, 7-0 have a seven-game winning streak and have started 7-0 in the ACC for the first time since starting 12-0 in 2017-18
- UVA has a 15-game ACC winning streak dating back to 2019-20.
- UVA had a 12-0 run in the first half
- UVA is 4-0 when scoring 80 or more points in 2020-21
- Virginia is 7-1 when scoring 70 or more points in 2020-21
- UVA is 35-1 when scoring at least 80 under Tony Bennett
- UVA is 134-10 when scoring at least 70 under Bennett
- UVA had a season-high 23 assists
- UVA had a season-high 41 rebounds
Series Notes
- UVA is 9-6 all-time against Syracuse, including an 8-2 mark in ACC action, in the series that dates back to 1983-84.
- The Cavaliers are 4-2 against the Orange at John Paul Jones Arena
- UVA has held the Orange to 68 or fewer points in each of the last 11 meetings between the teams
- Head coach Tony Bennett is 8-3 all-time against Syracuse
Player Notes
- Double Figure Scorers: Sam Hauser (21), Jay Huff (21), Trey Murphy III (16), Reece Beekman (10)
- Huff had a career-high 21 points and 12 rebounds for his sixth career double-double
- Huff matched a career-high with 12 rebounds
- Hauser tied a career high with seven 3-pointers
- Hauser has four or more 3-pointers in each of the last three games
- Clark handed out a season-high nine assists
- Murphy II had a season highs in rebounds (7) and blocks (2)
- Huff (2 blocks) moved into sole possession of fifth on UVA’s career blocks list with 132
- Huff has 37 multi-block games (10 this season)
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