Final
Virginia downs Cleveland State, moves to 10-0
Dec 19, 2014 - 3:20 AM Charlottesville, VA (SportsNetwork.com) - Justin Anderson and Malcolm Brogdon each netted 16 points as sixth-ranked Virginia remained unbeaten with a 70-54 win over Cleveland State.Anthony Gill added 13 points and eight rebounds for the Cavaliers (10-0), who overcame a slow start from a 12-day layoff to shoot 50 percent from the field and move to 10-0 for the first time since 2000-01.
Trey Lewis was the lone Cleveland State (5-6) player to score in double figures, finishing with 18 points while hitting 4-of-9 attempts from 3-point range.
Entering Thursday's matchup atop Division I in scoring defense and third in field goal percentage defense, the Cavaliers showed off their prowess on that side of the ball over the game's early stages.
After Lewis scored on Cleveland State's initial possession, the Vikings missed 15 of their next 16 shots and were held without a point for more than a 10- minute stretch as Virginia built a 16-4 lead despite its own offensive struggles early on.
"They are a very good team, worthy of their ranking and have a very strong defense," Vikings head coach Gary Waters said of Virginia. "We had good opportunities, but just missed shots."
Back-to-back 3-pointers from Vinny Zollo and Kaza Keane finally ended the Vikings' dry spell, but Brogdon and Gill led the Cavaliers on an 11-2 run to extend the margin to 27-12 late in the first half. Virginia owned a 31-18 advantage at the break behind 12 points each from the duo.
"I thought we were good offensively tonight once we got going a little bit," Cavaliers head coach Tony Bennett said.
The Cavaliers maintained a double-digit margin throughout the entire second half, with the lead stretching to 20 points following another 11-2 spurt that Anderson started and finished with a trey. The last of those makes had UVa up comfortably at 46-26 with 14 1/2 minutes to go.
Cleveland State trailed by 13 points or more the rest of the way.
Game Notes
The Cavaliers have held the opposition under 70 points in 16 straight games, the longest streak in the nation ... Forward Darion Atkins returned to action for Virginia after missing the team's last game against VCU with a back contusion ... The Cavs won the only previous meeting between the schools, a 76-65 decision in the 2009 Cancun Challenge ... Cleveland State fell to 1-17 all-time against top-10 foes.
- CLEVELAND STATE: 54
VIRGINIA: 70
Final
Dec 18 8:52 PM - CLEVELAND STATE: 18
VIRGINIA: 31
Halftime
Dec 18 7:48 PM - CLEVELAND STATE: 0
VIRGINIA: 0
1st Half - 20:00
Dec 18 7:04 PM
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