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CHARLOTTESVILLE The Virginia men’s basketball team made its 2007-08 debut Sunday afternoon, topping Carson-Newman 124-65 in an exhibition contest at John Paul Jones Arena. Six Cavaliers scored in double figures in the contest, three of them playing their first game in a Virginia uniform.

“It’s a hard game to play when you know you’re physically better than a team,” said Virginia head coach Dave Leitao. “We were physically better and as a result we were able to get some things, but at the same point in time, we looked a little bit more cohesive than I actually thought we would. Obviously we still have a ton of work to do, but with a game like this I can afford myself and my staff the opportunity to nitpick and try to get better at a lot of different things going into what will be our first game next week.”

Adrian Joseph (San Fernando, Trinidad) led all scorers with 22 points, on 7-10 shooting from the field, and Mamadi Diane (Potomac, Md.) added 19 points and a game-high eight rebounds and four steals. Jamil Tucker (Gary, Ind.) had 16 points off the bench.

Three players appearing for the Cavaliers for the first time scored in double figures. Jeff Jones (Chester, Pa.) made the start and had 12 points and six rebounds, while Mustapha Farrakhan (Harvey, Ill.) and Calvin Baker (Newport News, Va.) had 13 and 10 points respectively.

Preseason All-American Sean Singletary (Philadelphia, Pa.) and first-year Sammy Zeglinski (Philadelphia, Pa.) each had five assists to lead the team. Tunji Soroye (Dugbe Ibadan, Nigeria) led Virginia with four blocks.

Darren Williams scored 14 points to lead Carson-Newman, a Division II school in Jefferson City, Tenn.

Defensively, the Cavaliers had 13 steals, 10 blocks, and held the Eagles to 28.7 percent shooting from the floor.

The Cavaliers open the regular season at home on Sunday, Nov. 11, as they host Vermont. Game time at John Paul Jones Arena is slated for 2 p.m.

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