No. 8 Virginia Downs No. 22 NC State, 63-50

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — No. 8 Virginia (18-4, 10-3 ACC) held No. 22 NC State (19-6, 9-5 ACC) to 33 percent shooting and forced 12 turnovers as the Cavaliers defeated the Wolfpack, 63-50, at John Paul Jones Arena Tuesday night (Feb. 7).

The win marked UVA’s 11^th at home this season, including sixth in league play. The Cavaliers sustained a lead for nearly 38 minutes of game time and led by as many as 20 points early in the second half.

For the fourth consecutive game, Virginia was led in scoring by Jayden Gardner (18 points, 6-12 FG, 6-6 FT). Reece Beekman (15 points, 6-11 FG) and Kadin Shedrick (10 points, 6 rebounds) also scored in double figures for the Hoos. Kihei Clark tied for a game-high six assists.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Virginia held the Wolfpack to its lowest point total in a single half this season as the Cavaliers held a 34-20 advantage at the intermission. Virginia, which led for 17:55 of game time in the first half, shot 52 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes of play, while NC State shot just 26 percent. Amid an 8-0 UVA scoring run, the Cavaliers held NCSU scoreless for more than 5:30 of game time.

Gardner led all scorers with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting and made both of his attempts at the line. Virginia also received a nice lift from Shedrick, who came off the bench and scored five points, four rebounds and tallied one of five UVA blocks. Shedrick converted an and-1 during seven straight UVA points to help provide a spark. Like Shedrick, Isaac McKneely came off the bench and tallied five points on 2-of-4 shooting. Mckneely had the Cavaliers’ only pair of made 3-pointers in Tuesday’s contest.

Beekman scored 11 of his 15 total points in the second half, including six points in the first three minutes. NC State starting center D.J. Burns (8 points, 4-6 FG) picked up his fourth foul at the 16:03 mark in the second half and was forced to sit the bench for more than 10 minutes. After trailing by as many as 20 points, the Wolfpack cut UVA’s lead to single digits [55-46] on a made 3 for the first time since the 4:29 mark in the first half. Down the stretch, the Cavaliers made stops on five of NC State’s final seven possessions to help seal the win.

THE GAME BALL GOES TO:
Reece Beekman. For the second consecutive game, Beekman tallied 15 points. Against the Wolfpack, Beekman shot over 50 percent from the field, connecting on six of his 11 attempts, including a pair of dunks. He also dished out four assists and recorded a game-high three steals. On the defensive end, Beekman shouldered a heavy load, matching up with the Wolfpack’s top scorer Terquavion Smith for most of the game. Smith logged 40 minutes of action and finished with 19 points, just one point above his season average, but shot 35 percent (7-20 FG), including 27 percent from 3-point range.

UP NEXT
The Cavaliers host Duke (17-7, 8-5) on Saturday (Feb. 11). Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 4 p.m. on ESPN.