Virginia 67, Green Bay 51
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Virginia took control of a close game early in the second half to defeat Green Bay 67-51 at home Saturday afternoon.
Virginia (6-2) has won five consecutive games while Green Bay (3-4) has lost four in a row.
Virginia used an 11-0 run early in the second half to create some separation. Green Bay had cut the lead to 40-36 on Kam Cerroni's free throw with 15:27 to play. The Cavaliers then proceeded to score on their next five possessions, opening the run with a 3-pointer from Paul Jesperson and ending it with a dunk from Akil Mitchell with 12:22 to go.
The Cavaliers shot 50 percent (26-of-52) from the field, and the Phoenix shot just 34 percent (18-of-53).
Mitchell led Virginia with a career-high 20 points, surpassing his previous career high of 15 against Delaware on Nov. 13. The Cavaliers also got 20 points from leading scorer Joe Harris.
There was some concern in Charlottesville as to how the Cavaliers would replace first-team All-ACC selection Mike Scott down low, but Mitchell and teammate Darion Atkins have shown they can be consistent threats on the offensive end.
Mitchell has scored in double figures in seven of Virginia's eight games. Atkins had seven points and a team-high 11 rebounds Saturday afternoon.
Green Bay was led by 7-foot-1 center Alec Brown, who had 14 points despite being plagued by foul trouble the majority of the game. Brown had two fouls in the first half and picked up his fourth foul with 13:06 to play.
Sophomore point guard Keifer Sykes, the leading scorer for the Phoenix, had 12 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Virginia led 31-27 during a tightly contested first half. There were five ties and six lead changes, and neither team led by more than five points. The Cavaliers were 11-for-27 from the field (40.7 percent) while the Phoenix were 10-for-27 (37 percent).
Harris had nine points to lead the Cavaliers in the opening period, making all three of his attempts from beyond the arc. Virginia made 5 of 8 3-point attempts.
NOTES: This was the second meeting between the schools. Virginia beat Green Bay 68-42 in Charlottesville on Nov. 25, 2011. ... Virginia coach Tony Bennett starred at Green Bay from 1988 to 1992 under father Dick Bennett. Bennett finished his career with 2,285 points and is still the program's all-time scoring leader.
