No. 2 Virginia rallies in second half, stays unbeaten in ACC

Feb. 07, 2018

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) Devon Hall scored 17 points, Ty Jerome added 15 and No. 2 Virginia rallied in the second half to beat Florida State 59-55 on Wednesday night.

Kyle Guy scored 10 of his 13 points in the final 20 minutes as the Cavaliers fought back from a 32-22 halftime deficit to remain unbeaten in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Virginia was 5 of 10 on 3-pointers in the second half and committed just one turnover.

Virginia (23-1) is the third team since 2000-01 to win its first 12 ACC games, joining North Carolina (2000-01) and Miami (2012-13). It is the Cavaliers’ best conference start since they were 12-0 in 1980-81.

Florida State had two stretches over the final 26 minutes where it went over five minutes without making a field goal – including the final 9:01 of the game. The Seminoles shot 40 percent from the field (18 of 45) and made only two of their last 12.

MJ Walker paced the Seminoles (17-6, 6-6) with 10 points, and Phil Cofer added nine.

BIG PICTURE

Virginia: The Cavaliers allowed 32 points in the first half, which ended a string of 15 straight regular-season conference games where they held an opponent under 30 points in the first 20 minutes. It also tied a season high for points allowed in the first half (they allowed 32 against VCU on Nov. 17, 2017).

Florida State: The Seminoles have dropped six straight against Top 5 teams. Their last win came against then-No. 4 North Carolina in the ACC Tournament final in 2012.

UP NEXT

Virginia: Hosts Virginia Tech on Saturday. The Cavaliers won the first meeting 78-52 on Jan. 3.

Florida State: Travels to Notre Dame on Saturday. The Seminoles are looking for their first win in South Bend, Indiana, in their fourth trip.

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