Virginia Wins Roman Legends Classic Title Game Over Providence
NEWARK, N.J. — Jayden Gardner and Armaan Franklin combined for 35 points to lead Virginia (4-2) to a 58-40 victory over Providence (5-1) en route to winning the Roman Legends Classic Tuesday night from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Gardner collected his third double-double of the season after scoring a season-high 21 points and added 13 rebounds to lead the Cavaliers to their third consecutive victory. Gardner was nearly flawless from the field, finishing Tuesday’s game 8-of-9 from the field and was 5-for-5 from the charity stripe.
Franklin, who tied a career-high 23 points in Monday’s win over Georgia, posted 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 4-for-6 from behind the arc.
After successfully swatting four shot attempts in Monday’s victory over the Bulldogs, Kadin Shedrick registered his fourth straight multi-block game with a career-high five blocks and Reece Beekman finished with a game-high seven assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Cavaliers led 30-15 at halftime after Franklin scored all 14 of his total points in the opening half on 5-of-7 shooting, including 4-of-6 from behind the arc. UVA orchestrated a 13-0 run in the first half on three made 3-pointers from Franklin and back-to-back field goals from Gardner. Gardner contributed 10 of his 21 points and seven rebounds in the opening half.
The Friars narrowed the score to within six, 42-36 in the second half, but three straight UVA scores ultimately put the game out of reach. The Cavaliers also scored the last seven points of the game as UVA outpaced Providence 28-25 in the second half. Kihei Clark scored all 10 of his points the second half.
THE GAME BALL GOES TO:
Jayden Gardner. Gardner posted his third double-double of the season with a season-high 21 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Gardner was 4-for-4 from the field and 3-for-3 at the free-throw line in the second half.
UP NEXT
Virginia faces Lehigh (0-4) on Friday (Nov. 26) at John Paul Jones Arena. Friday’s contest against the Mountain Hawks is scheduled to broadcast on ACC Network at 7 p.m.