Hall's 16 lead No. 8 Virginia past No. 12 UNC, 61-49
Jan. 06, 2018
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) Devon Hall scored 16 points and No. 8 Virginia held No. 12 North Carolina to its second-lowest point total of the season in the Cavaliers’ 61-49 victory on Saturday.
Hall had seven assists for Virginia (14-1, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), and De’Andre Hunter had 10 points and seven rebounds. The Cavaliers won their sixth in a row and sent the Tar Heels to consecutive losses for the first time since February 2016. North Carolina lost 81-80 at Florida State on Wednesday night.
Joel Berry II led North Carolina (12-4, 1-2) with 17 points and Kenny Williams had 11.
Virginia trailed only briefly and led 35-28 at halftime. The Tar Heels closed it to 54-48 on a tip-in by Cameron Johnson with 7:17 remaining, but UNC scored only one more point on a free throw by Luke Maye with 3:35 to play.
It was North Carolina’s worst offensive showing since a 63-45 loss to Michigan State on Nov. 26 in the PK80 Invitational.
BIG PICTURE
North Carolina: The Tar Heels had a 15-0 disadvantage in points off turnovers in the first half after turning it over 10 times, compared with just four for the Cavaliers. They stayed close with a 23-15 rebounding edge that included 10 on the offensive end, but they scored only eight points off those additional opportunities before the break. They finished with 18 turnovers and were outscored 25-3 off giveaways.
Virginia: Jack Salt doesn’t typically have an eye-popping stat line, but the junior center made several hustle plays that coach Tony Bennett always references when asked about him. The plays included a steal that led to a run-out basket for Virginia, a block and several tip-outs to keep offensive possessions alive.
UP NEXT
North Carolina returns home to face Boston College on Tuesday night.
Virginia is at home for the sixth time in seven games when it hosts Syracuse on Tuesday night.
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