UNC slams Cavaliers

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — With 6 minutes and 15 seconds left in the first half of Saturday’s game, J.R. Reynolds nailed a 3-pointer to give Virginia 14 points — tying his entire team’s point total with North Carolina forward Jawad Williams.

The Tar Heel senior led all scorers with 16 points in the first half and finished with 23 as No. 3 UNC blitzed the Cavaliers, 110-76, for its first win at University Hall since 1999.

North Carolina (17-2, 6-1 in the ACC) was dominant on the defensive end, forcing 17 turnovers and holding Virginia (10-8, 1-7) to 39 percent shooting.

But the Tar Heel offense registered one of its most impressive performances to date in posting its sixth 100-point game of the year. The team shot 60 percent from the field and an astounding 60.9 percent from behind the arc.

“We played pretty doggone well,” said UNC coach Roy Williams. “We defended, we boxed out, we didn’t give too many second chance opportunities and we got either very good inside shots or had open threes. And guys for the most part made their threes. To play that well today is satisfying, even though in this league it just means one win.”

Virginia, which had played against Virginia Tech on Thursday, seemed sluggish and lethargic throughout the game and was victimized repeatedly by North Carolina’s transition game. The Tar Heels scored 27 points off of turnovers.

MEN'S BASKETBALL UNC 110 UVA 76

“We didn’t play with energy and seemed hesitant and tentative,” said Virginia coach Pete Gillen. “And I think it’s a fact Thursday night took a lot out of us. That’s not an excuse, that’s a fact. I’m just disappointed we didn’t play with more energy and more aggressiveness early.”

By contrast, the Tar Heels hit the floor at full speed after a week off.

Just 35 seconds into the game, Cavalier point guard Sean Singletary scored the game’s first basket on a 3-point shot. But his UNC counterpart, Raymond Felton, answered right back with a 3 of his own.

Felton’s shot ignited a 30-7 run during the next 10 minutes that effectively treated the 7,953 fans in attendance to 30 minutes of garbage time.

UNC’s final offensive stats are impressive, but the first-half numbers are even better: 62 points on 65.6 percent shooting from the field and 72.7 percent from 3-point range. Three players — Jawad Williams, Sean May and Felton — scored in double figures, with freshman phenom Marvin Williams knocking at the door after racking up eight points on two 3s and a vicious one-handed slam.

UNC put up all those points without any contribution from star forward Rashad McCants, who failed to score in the first half for the second consecutive game. McCants picked up two fouls in 20 seconds early in the first half when he committed a charge after being whistled for a contact foul on defense.

But this game belonged to Jawad Williams, who likely would have topped his career high of 28 points were he not firmly attached to the visitors’ bench for the last 10 minutes of the game.

The senior forward finished 8-10 from the floor, snagging seven rebounds — three on the offensive end.

“He’s been on a hot streak all year,” May said. “He’s really shooting the ball well, and we need that from him, showing that leadership, stepping up to the plate. Shots were going down for him, and we just kept looking for him, and he did a good job of making shots.”

The dominant performances by the UNC offense and Jawad Williams were vindicating for the Tar Heels — they snapped their five-game losing streak at University Hall with panache.

“It was due,” said David Noel. “We haven’t really had a great shooting night since we’ve been in the ACC (schedule). I’m just glad it was on the road in a place where we haven’t won in a long time.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.