Leon Bond III came off the bench to lead a hot-shooting first half for Virginia and the Cavaliers went on to defeat visiting North Carolina A&T 80-51 on Tuesday night in Charlottesville, Va.
Ryan Dunn had the first double-double of his career, scoring 13 points and collecting 11 rebounds for Virginia (3-0). Jacob Groves added 11 points and nine rebounds for the Cavaliers.
With Bond hitting 5 of 6 shots in the first half on his way to scoring a team-high 16 points for the night, Virginia made 18 of 28 (64.3 percent) shots in the first half, including 6 of 8 (75 percent) from beyond the arc.
North Carolina A&T (0-3) of the Coastal Athletic Association was as cold in the first half as Virginia was hot. The Aggies made 6 of 28 shots (21.4 percent) from the floor and 1 of 15 (6.7 percent) from 3-point range.
Landon Glasper led North Carolina A&T with 18 points as he hit 5 of 11 shots from 3-point range.
For the game, the Cavaliers won the battle of the boards 42-24. They also enjoyed a big advantage on points in the paint 40-10.
Virginia never trailed in the game. During an early 18-2 run, the Cavaliers showed their depth, getting seven buckets from six different players.
Isaac McKneely, Reece Beekman, Taine Murray and Groves hit 3-pointers during the spree and Bond worked the mid-range for a pair of baskets, including a turnaround jumper that put the Cavaliers up 28-8.
Later in the half, after McKneely highlighted an 8-0 run with a 3-pointer, Glasper broke the ice for the Aggies from 3-point range, scoring with 3:44 left in the half.
But Groves answered in kind at the 2:40 mark as the Cavaliers surged to a 49-19 advantage at the break.
With the game in hand, Virginia slowed the pace in the second half and employed its reserves. The Aggies heated up from the floor but never made a serious run at the lead.
–Field Level Media