Virginia 78, Clemson 41
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Virginia jumped out to a 28-point halftime lead and cruised to a 78-41 win over Clemson on Thursday night.
The Cavaliers limited the Tigers to 10 first-half points, which tied a season low for Clemson (12-10, 4-6 Atlantic Coast Conference). The Tigers also scored 10 points in the first half of a 68-40 loss at Duke on Jan. 8.
On the flip side, it was the fewest points Virginia (16-6, 6-3 ACC) allowed in any half since Maryland scored 10 points in the second half on Jan. 12, 1981.
For the game, Clemson shot just 30.8 percent (16-for-52) from the field and made just one of 17 attempts from 3-point range. The Tigers also turned the ball over 18 times.
Virginia was forced to play a smaller lineup due to medical issues with two of its post players, Darion Atkins (right leg) and Mike Tobey (mononucleosis).
Cavaliers freshman Justin Anderson started for the fourth time of his career and for the first time since Nov. 17. He ended with 14 points and a number of highlight plays in the second half, including an over-the-head, no-look pass to Akil Mitchell for a dunk as well as a reverse slam off an alley-oop pass.
Joe Harris led Virginia with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Mitchell added 16 points, six rebounds and four steals.
The Cavaliers shot 55.6 percent (30-for-54) from the field and made 10 of 24 from 3-point range after missing their first nine attempts. Virginia had just six turnovers.
K.J. McDaniels led Clemson with 10 points. He was the only Tiger in double figures. Devin Booker and Milton Jennings combined for just nine points and 12 rebounds. The duo had 36 points and 20 rebounds in the teams' first meeting, a 59-44 home win for Clemson.
Virginia ended the first half on a 15-0 run to lead 38-10 at the break. The Cavaliers missed their first nine attempts from beyond the arc but made their final three attempts over the final 1:55 to really extend their cushion.
Clemson shot just 20 percent (5-for-25) from the field in the first half and committed 13 turnovers. The Tigers did not score over the final 5:17 after a Rod Hall basket made the score 23-10.
Harris led Virginia with 14 points in the opening period while Mitchell had 10 points. As a team, the Cavaliers shot 51.9 percent (14-for-27) from the field and only had three turnovers.
Virginia started the game on a 14-2 run over the first 8:04 with 10 of those points coming in the paint. The Tigers made just one of their first seven shots in that span while committing seven turnovers.
NOTES: Virginia has won 13 consecutive games in the John Paul Jones Arena and is 14-1 at home this season. ... Clemson saw its road struggles continue, losing its sixth straight away from home. The Tigers are 0-5 in road ACC games. ... Virginia leads Clemson 69-52 in a series that dates back to the 1935-36 season. ... Atkins missed his fifth game. Tobey is out indefinitely.
