Virginia 75, Liberty 53
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Five players scored at least nine points as Virginia routed in-state foe Liberty 75-53 Saturday afternoon at John Paul Jones Arena.
Forward Anthony Gill led the Cavaliers with 13 points and guard Malcolm Brogdon, the team's leading scorer, add 12.
Virginia led by as many as 12 in the first half. The Cavaliers took a 26-14 lead after Brogdon's jump shot with 5:33 to play. Liberty answered with a 12-6 run to close out the half, and the Cavaliers led 32-26.
Coach Tony Bennett's patented pack-line defense stifled the Flames all game, forcing them into 19 turnovers and allowing them to shoot just 38.6 percent from the field.
With five made 3-pointers in the first half, the Cavaliers exceeded their previous season high of four. Virginia (4-1) finished the game 8-of-19 from beyond the arc while shooting 48 percent from the field.
The Cavaliers racked up 21 assists on 30 made field goals; freshman point guard London Perrantes had a career-high six assists.
The dominance on the glass continued for Virginia, which outrebounded Liberty 35-28. It was the fifth straight game that the Cavaliers outrebounded their opponent.
The Cavaliers have won three straight games while Liberty (1-4) has lost four straight since beating Randolph College in the season opener.
Liberty was led by leading scorer Davon Marshall, who dropped in a game-high 15 points. Forward Antwan Burrus added 12 points for the Flames.
Virginia used a 20-0 run in the second half to take a 60-31 lead before cruising the rest of the way.
NOTES: This was the first matchup between the two teams since 2008, when Liberty upset the Cavaliers 86-82 behind 26 points from Seth Curry. ... Virginia associate head coach Ritchie McKay served as the Flames' head coach from 2007 to 2009. ... Redshirt sophomore Malcolm Brogden, who missed all of last season with a foot injury, leads Virginia in scoring this season at 12.3 ppg. ... Virginia ranks second nationally in scoring defense, giving up 49.8 ppg. ... Liberty is one of six in-state opponents Virginia will play this season. ... Liberty graduate assistant Solomon Tat was a four-year letter-winner at Virginia and played under Tony Bennett in his final season. ... Liberty will be back in action Tuesday against Missouri State while Virginia will be at home against Hampton. Both of these games are part of the Corpus Christi Challenge.
