No. 18 Cavaliers Blow Past Monmouth, 89-42
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — No. 18 Virginia (2-0) held Monmouth (0-2) to 16-of-41 shooting (39 percent) and forced 21 turnovers to cruise to an 89-42 victory at John Paul Jones Arena Friday night (Nov. 11).
The Cavaliers enjoyed the benefits of a balanced attack on the offensive end of the floor as 10 UVA players found the bottom of the net, including double-digit scorers Isaac McKneely (15 points), Ryan Dunn (13 points) and Ben Vander Plas (10 points). Virginia, which shot 56 percent from the floor, including 13-for-25 from 3-pooint range, assisted 23 of its 30 made fields.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Virginia doubled up the Hawks, 42-21, at the half after the Cavaliers received 19 points off the bench and converted nine Monmouth turnovers into 16 points, while the Hawks managed just two points off UVA’s four first-half giveaways. The Cavaliers shot 46 percent from the field in the first and were 7-for-15 from 3-point range, while Monmouth shot 40 percent from the field, but made only eight total field goals, including one from deep.
Not even three minutes into the second half, the Cavaliers scored 17 unanswered points to extend their lead to 63-25 with 11:43 to play. Virginia’s then-largest lead of the game came just six minutes later when it led the Hawks, 79-35. The Cavaliers closed out the win by scoring the final six points. UVA’s 47-point victory is its largest margin of victory since Nov. 16, 2018, when the Cavaliers defeated Coppin State, 97-40. First year guard Ryan Dunn posted eight of his 13 total points in the second half after going 4-for-4 from the field in the final 20 minutes of play.
THE GAME BALL GOES TO:
Isaac McKneely. The first year guard scored a team-high 15 points in his second career game. He was 5-for-8 from the floor and connected on a game-high four made 3s. He logged 28 minutes after coming off the bench.
UP NEXT
The Cavaliers return to John Paul Jones Arena on Monday (Nov. 14) to host Northern Iowa (1-1). Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. on ACC Network. BUY TICKETS