No. 4 Virginia Opens ACC Play with 65-52 Win Over No. 9 Florida State
Postgame Notes | Postgame Quotes | Boxscore
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Kyle Guy (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Braxton Key (Charlotte, N.C.) led No. 4 Virginia (13-0, 1-0) to a 65-52 win over No. 9 Florida State (12-2, 0-1) in the ACC opener on Saturday afternoon at John Paul Jones Arena. Virginia has now won its last 11 ACC openers
Guy started the game 6-for-7 including 5-of-5 from 3-point range to set a new UVA consecutive 3-point field goals made steak with 11, dating back to finishing with six-straight against Marshall and making his first five against Florida State. Key added a UVA career-high 20 points.
Virginia led by as many as 29 with 2:50 to go in the game, before playing every player on the bench in the game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Cavaliers went on a 14-3 run to take an 18-11 lead over Florida State at the 8:32 mark in the first half. Guy made back-to-back layups and back-to-back 3-pointers to spark the run. UVA closed the first half on a 15-2 run to lead 42-23 at the break. Key started the run with a three, then had a steal and was fouled to make both free throws. Guy hit two more threes to extend the run. Guy hit a three to begin the second half. Key scored eight consecutive points during a 10-2 run when UVA took a 63-34 lead with 2:50 remaining.
THE GAME BALL GOES TO
Kyle Guy and Braxton Key both finished the game 7-for-11 from the floor. Guy was 5-of-6 beyond the arc and added five rebounds and three assists. Key had a UVA career-high 20 points, adding six rebounds.
NOTES
• UVA is 10-0 in ACC openers under head coach Tony Bennett
• Virginia has won seven of the last nine meetings against Florida State
• UVA has limited Florida State to fewer than 70 points in each of the last 16 meetings between the teams
• UVA is 3-0 vs. ranked opponents
• UVA held FSU scoreless for 6:13 of the second half
• Guy has a 13-game 3-pointer streak and has made two of more 3-pointers in each of the past four games
QUOTES
On offense of Braxton Key:
“He’s had a couple of real good practices, defensively he’s been really good in position, and I told him that. Offensively, I thought he really let the game come, took the open shots when they were there and attacked when it was there. That’s his game. He’s kind of a complete player who does a little bit of everything and understands how to play. I was just as pleased with his defense as his offense. Ty [Jerome] and DeAndre [Hunter] offensively weren’t scoring like they had been so the way Kyle [Guy] played in the first half offensively was a shooting clinic and then to see Braxton [Key], that was good that he stepped up. Florida State guarded us tough in the second half. We got some good looks but they made it harder and we weren’t quite at the same clip.”
UP NEXT
Virginia will take its first ACC road trip on Wednesday, Jan. 9 at Boston College. The game is set to tip at 9 p.m. in Chestnut Hill, Mass.