National Basketball Association
Virginia 79, Robert Morris 39
When: 4:30 PM ET, Saturday, December 17, 2016
Where: John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, Virginia
Officials:
# Louie Andrakakos, # Mike Stuart, # Scott Arbogast
Attendance:
13452
By The Sports Xchange
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- No. 13 Virginia put four players in double figures in its return from an 11-day exam hiatus to knock off Robert Morris 79-39 on Saturday at John Paul Jones Arena.
Guard Devon Hall scored 11 of his career-high 13 points in the first half to lead the way for the Cavaliers. Freshman Kyle Guy matched Hall with 13 points while Jack Salt and Jarred Reuter put in 10 points apiece.
"I didn't think we were very solid early, we were sluggish," Virginia head coach Tony Bennett said. "I really like how they responded in the second half though. We did what we needed to do. I just wanted the guys to play regardless of the score."
The Cavaliers' 40-point win was their second win of such kind this season as they held Robert Morris without a field goal for the final seven minutes of the game.
Virginia (9-1) shot 60 percent for the game and used a bevy of runs to squeeze the life out of Robert Morris (3-9). The Cavaliers got 48 points in the paint and 41 points from their bench.
"This team's unselfishness and unity is different than a lot of teams that I've coached," Bennett said. "We are going to need the balance scoring that we have. We don't just have one guy that is going to go out and get us 20 points."
The Cavaliers racked up 21 assists on 31 made field goals and had three players record at least four assists. Forward Isaiah Wilkins put in seven points and dished out six assists.
Robert Morris got just two second chance points and were outrebounded by the Cavaliers 39-21.
The Colonials shots just 24 percent for the game and were led by guard Isaiah Still, who scored a game-high 16 points. Still was the only Robert Morris player to score in double figures.
"Obviously, they [Virginia] wear you down," Robert Morris head coach Andrew Toole said. "I thought we followed our formula pretty well early but we just couldn't make any shots."
Robert Morris had their chances at the free throw line as the Colonials shot it 23 times from the charity stripe, but connected on just 13 of their attempts.
"Over time, Virginia just wears you down," Toole said. "They use their size and then they just continue to stretch that lead over and over and over."
The teams traded leads eight times in the first half before Virginia used a mini-run to seize control of the game.
Robert Morris led for more than five minutes in the half but shot just 27 percent over the first 20 minutes. Still led the Colonials with eight first-half points.
Virginia closed the final six minutes of the half on a 20-5 run to take a 32-18 lead at the halftime break.
The Cavaliers shot 46 percent and made all six free throw attempts in the half. Hall led the way with 11 points and five rebounds.
NOTES: Virginia ranks No. 1 in the country in scoring defense (47.6). ... Robert Morris lost its first five games of the season after winning the Northeast Conference title in 2015. ... Hall's 11 first-half points for Virginia was his season high. ... Virginia travels to take on California on Wednesday night before opening ACC play at home against No. 23 Florida State on Saturday… Salt's 10 points were a career-high. Freshman Ty Jerome recorded a career-high six assists for the Cavaliers. ... Bennett on Jerome: "I like Ty's vision. You always have to be ready with him because he sees things".
Top Game Performances
| Robert Morris |
|
Virginia |
|
Isaiah Still 16 |
Scoring |
Kyle Guy 13 |
|
Kavon Stewart 5 |
Assists |
Ty Jerome 6 |
|
Roberto Mantovani 6 |
Rebounds |
Isaiah Wilkins 6 |
|
Clive Allen 4 |
Free Throws Made |
Devon Hall 4 |
|
Kavon Stewart 5 |
Steals |
Mamadi Diakite 2 |
|
Billy Giles 1 |
Blocks |
Mamadi Diakite 2 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Robert Morris
|
39 |
23.9 |
4-15 |
13-23 |
7 |
20 |
1 |
7 |
13 |
| Virginia
|
79 |
59.6 |
6-14 |
11-14 |
21 |
37 |
7 |
7 |
11 |
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