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UVa. impressive in season-opening win over W&M

Chris Graham

Tony Bennett knows he has a young team. Now we know that he has a talented young team.

“I kind of joked – I said, We’re probably going to have to put some newspapers on the floor for our young pups out there. I think there were some nerves involved,” said Bennett, whose Virginia basketball team overcame a sluggish first half to dominate in the second 20 minutes en route to a convincing 76-52 win over in-state rival William and Mary in the season opener for both teams Friday night at the John Paul Jones Arena.

Billy Baron electrified the home fans with 19-point effort in his debut that featured a lights-out 5-of-6 shooting performance from three-point range. Baron hit all three of his long-range attempts in the second half during a 13-point outburst that fueled a decisive 18-3 UVa. run that broke open what had been a tight game.

Read the rest of this story – and listen to UVa. coach Tony Bennett’s postgame press conference – at VaSportsOnline.com.

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Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to Substack or his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].

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