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.
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“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.