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Virginia Rolls Over Richmond, 85-58
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Nov. 28, 2004
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) – Devin Smith scored 26 points and Elton Brown had12 points and 10 rebounds Sunday as Virginia rode sharp 3-point shooting to abig early lead against Richmond and cruised to an 85-58 victory.
Virginia (4-0) led 47-29 at halftime, using a string of three 3-pointers tobreak open a close game as halftime approached. The Cavaliers then used a 14-3run sparked by Smith’s 3-pointer to expand their lead to 64-34 with 14:01remaining.
The Spiders (2-1) never got closer than 20 thereafter as the Cavalierswrapped up an impressive week that included an 18-point victory against No. 18Arizona and a 17-point victory against Appalachian State, both at UniversityHall.
Smith connected on 8 of 13 shots, including five of his 10 3-point attempts,and also grabbed seven rebounds. Freshman Sean Singletary added 11 points, GaryForbes 10 and J.R. Reynolds 9 on three of the Cavaliers’ 11 3-point baskets.
Kevin Steenberge led Richmond with 14 points and Daon Merritt had 10.
The game was the first between the two schools since a 69-65 Virginia win atRichmond on Dec. 21, 1999, and was Richmond’s first game in Charlottesvillesince the 1996-97 season. The schools will play next season at the the RichmondColiseum.
Virginia gained its halftime lead thanks in large part to strong shootingfrom behind the arc. The Cavaliers made 8 of 17 3-point tries in the openinghalf, including consecutive 3s by Singletary, Smith and Reynolds that turned a35-27 lead into a 44-27 advantage with just over two minutes to play beforehalftime.
The Spiders had as many field goals in the half, 14, but made only one from3-point territory and missed all seven of their shots from the free-throw line.