Virginia Wins Battle 4 Atlantis Title
NASSAU, BAHAMAS. – No. 4 Virginia (6-0) captured the Battle 4 Atlantis title with a 53-46 win over No. 25 Wisconsin (5-1) on Friday afternoon.
De’Andre Hunter (Philadelphia, Pa.) scored 20 points for his second straight game with 20 points or more and had a team-high nine rebounds to lead the Cavaliers to the win. Ty Jerome (New Rochelle, N.Y.) added 11 points. Jack Salt (Auckland, New Zealand) and Kihei Clark (Woodland Hills, Calif.) each had five rebounds.
The Cavaliers shot 37 percent from the floor, while Wisconsin shot 44 percent. UVA finished 9-of-12 from the free throw line, to Wisconsin’s 2-of-3.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Virginia closed the first half on a 12-2 run to lead 33-18 at halftime. Wisconsin opened the second half with an 11-3 run to cut it to 36-29. The Cavaliers stretched their lead back to 10 with 6:19 to go, but the Badgers hung around to close the gap to five three times. UVA responded with layups from Jerome and Hunter, then secured the win a couple of free throws down the stretch.
THE GAME BALL GOES TO
De’Andre Hunter scored 20 points for the second straight game with eight field goals and converting 4-of-6 free throws. Hunter led the Cavaliers with nine rebounds and added one block. He was named tournament MVP.
NOTES
• The Cavaliers have captured six consecutive Thanksgiving holiday tournaments (Battle 4 Atlantis, NIT Season Tip-Off, Emerald Coast Classic, Charleston Classic, Barclays Center Classic and Corpus Christi Challenge).
• UVA held its fourth opponent to fewer than 20 points in the first half
• UVA has limited three opponents to fewer than 50 points and is 79-2 when achieving the mark under Tony Bennett
• Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament MVP De’Andre Hunter averaged 19.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists in three games
• Kihei Clark had five points, five rebounds, season-high three steals and two assists in his first career start
UP NEXT
Virginia will be on the road for the ACC/Big 10 Challenge on Wednesday against Maryland in College Park, Md. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.