No. 6 Virginia Falls to North Carolina on the Road, 71-63

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The No. 6 Virginia Cavaliers (21-6, 13-5 ACC) lost their second straight road game, falling 71-63 to North Carolina (18-11, 10-8) at the Dean E. Smith Center on Saturday night (Feb. 25).

Forward Jayden Gardner led the Cavaliers with his third double-double of the season, recording 19 points and 12 rebounds, while also chipping in a block and a steal.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Cavaliers never led Saturday. UNC shot 46 percent from the field and hit 10 of its 22 3-pointers on the night, while the Wahoos shot just under 40 percent from the field.

After hitting 9 of its first 16 shots from beyond the arc, and 15 of 26 overall, North Carolina entered halftime with a 42-26 lead.

Gardner led Virginia with 10 first-half points and five rebounds. He scored eight of Virginia’s first 10 points. UNC had runs of 7-0 and 13-3 in the first half and led 42-26 at the break.

UVA picked up its offensive game coming out of halftime, going on a 10-2 run led by Ben Vander Plas (8 points) to cut the Heels’ lead to seven. UNC would continue to hold the Cavaliers at an arm’s length. Each team struggled to find a rhythm on the offensive end for the rest of the second half, before the Hoos mounted a late-game comeback.

North Carolina outscored Virginia from behind the arc 30-12.

UP NEXT

No. 6 Virginia hosts Clemson on Tuesday, Feb. 28. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 7 p.m. on ACC Network.