NCAA News Wire

Virginia 65, Clemson 42

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Sports Editor
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Guard Malcolm Brogdon had 13 of his 16 points in the second half and guard Justin Anderson had 11 of his 15 points in the first half as No. 2 Virginia pulled away from Clemson 65-42 on Tuesday to remain unbeaten.

Virginia, who led by just six at halftime, went on a 26-6 run to begin the second half to take a 51-25 lead as head coach Tony Bennett began to clear his bench.

The Cavaliers, who scored 12 straight points in one stretch, improved to 16-0 overall and 4-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference as it held an opponent below 52 points for the seventh time this season. The Tigers (9-7, 1-3) were paced by forward Jaron Blossomgame, who had nine points and 10 rebounds.

Virginia, which had just four turnovers, is now 4-0 in the ACC for the first time since 1994-95. The Cavaliers have won their last five games at home against Clemson and hold a record of 43-16 in Charlottesville against the Tigers.

Virginia took its biggest lead of the game at the time at 28-19 early in the second half on a 3-pointer by Brogdon.

On the next possession, Anderson slammed home a dunk to make it 31-19 with 17:54 remaining as Clemson head coach Brad Brownell called timeout. But that could not stop the Virginia momentum as the hosts took a 32-19 advantage on the next possession.

Forward Darion Atkins put back his own miss for a basket while being fouled and his free throw made it 37-21 midway through the second half. Brogdon made a field goal and seconds later connected on a 3-pointer to give the Cavaliers an edge of 44-25 as the hosts blew out the Tigers in the second half.

The Cavaliers had just two turnovers in the first half while Clemson committed eight.

Virginia is one of three schools, along with Duke and Arizona, that has been ranked in the top 10 for the past 13 weeks dating back to last season. The Cavaliers moved up from No. 3 to No. 2 in the AP poll Monday.

The Cavaliers led 25-19 at halftime as guard Justin Anderson had 11 points, as he connected on 4 of 7 from the field, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range.

Virginia led 10-6 on a basket and free throw by Brogdon, but Clemson took a 13-12 lead with 11:05 left in the first half on a field goal by Blossomgame, who had seven rebounds in the first half.

The Cavaliers stormed back to take a 14-13 advantage on a basket by forward Anthony Gill. Guard London Perrantes then hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give Virginia a 17-13 cushion.

Gill, averaging 12 points at game time, picked up his second foul with 6:31 left in the first half and took a seat on the bench with the Cavaliers ahead 19-13 on a basket by Anderson. Gill had eight points in the first half.

The Cavaliers are ranked No. 2 for the first time since March 8, 1983. Virginia entered the game allowing 51.1 points per contest, the best mark in the nation.

The Cavaliers were off to their best start since the 1980-81 season, when Harrisonburg, Va., native Ralph Sampson guided Virginia to a 23-0 mark to begin the campaign. Sampson, a former NBA All-Star with the Houston Rockets, was in attendance Tuesday and was recognized by the crowd during a timeout with 14:29 left in the first half.

NOTES: Virginia was coming off a win on Saturday at Notre Dame while Clemson won at Pittsburgh. … The Tigers host Syracuse on Saturday in the first of three home games in a row. … Clemson associate head coach Mike Winiecki is from Richmond, Va. and played at the University of Richmond. … The Cavaliers return to action Saturday at Boston College. … Virginia had won on the road against three teams in the top 17: Notre Dame, Maryland and Virginia Commonwealth.

Alan is an expert gambling writer who works as one of the chief editors for Basketball Insiders. He has been covering online gambling and sports betting for over 8 years, having written for the likes of Sportlens, Compare.bet, The Sports Daily, 90min, and TopRatedCasinos.co.uk. His particular specialisms include US online casinos and gambling regulations, and soccer and basketball betting. Based in London, Alan holds an MA in English Literature and is a passionate supporter of Chelsea FC.

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