Hot-Shooting Hoos Top Coppin State
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – De’Andre Hunter (Philadelphia, Pa.) scored a season-high 20 and Mamadi Diakite (Conakry, Guinea, Africa) had a career-high 18 points as No. 4 Virginia topped Coppin State 97-40 on Friday night at John Paul Jones Arena.
Virginia shot 60.3 percent for the game, including 60 percent beyond the arc (15-25). The Cavaliers outscored Coppin State 52-23 in the second half and had 28 points off turnovers. The 57-point margin of victory is the third largest in UVA history and the 97 points are the most under head coach Tony Bennett.
Virginia will begin play in the Battle 4 Atlantis against Middle Tennessee on Wednesday, Nov. 21 at 9:30 p.m. in Nassau, Bahamas.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Virginia went on a 14-0 run to take a 21-5 lead in the first 10 minutes of the contest. UVA then used a 17-0 run that included three 3-pointers by Kihei Clark (Woodland Hills, Calif.) at the end of the first to take a 45-17 lead into the break. The Cavaliers then added a 20-2 run in the second half capped off by a three from Hunter to lead 68-22. Every player on UVA’s bench entered the game and scored for the Cavaliers.
THE GAME BALL GOES TO
De’Andre Hunter scored a season-high 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting, going 4-for-4 on 3-pointers. Hunter also added three assists and three steals in the win.
QUOTES
On De’Andre Hunter’s performance:
“It was nice to see him knock down some shots. It’s good to see the ball go through the hoop. They laid off of [Kihei Clark] and he kept taking them, made a couple threes and then it just loosened it up. But, to see [De’Andre Hunter], that’ll open up anybody’s game. Especially him. When you can be a threat from the three, the drives open up and the pull-ups and all that. I thought that he was assertive, but there was an unselfishness with aggressiveness. There was the right balance in the way we played, the way the ball moved, and the way in which we cut.”
NOTES
• UVA has a 21-game November winning streak dating back to the 2015-16 season
• Diakite matched a career-best with a pair of 3-pointers
• Hunter set career highs in 3-pointers (4) and steals (3)
• Kihei Clark had a season-high nine points
• Kyle Guy had a career-high five assists
• Grant Kersey sank his first career 3-pointer
• All 12 Cavaliers who played in the contest scored
UP NEXT
Virginia travels to Nassau, Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. UVA opens with Middle Tennessee on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 9:30 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN2.