61-Point First Half Powers UVA Past Marshall 104-78

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The Cavaliers posted 100 points in a game for the first time since 2018, cruising past Marshall 104-78 on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 15) in John Paul Jones Arena. With the win, Virginia improved to 4-0 while the Thundering Herd fell to 3-1.

Virginia came out of the gate hot, shooting 20-for-32 (62.5 percent) with seven triples en route to a dominant 61-point first half.

Four Cavaliers finished in double figures. Thijs De Ridder led the way with 23 points, Malik Thomas and Dallin Hall each posted 18 and Johann Grünloh logged 16. UVA shot 33-for-63 (52.4 percent) from the field with a 42.9 percent mark from deep.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hoos jumped out to an 11-4 lead at the first media timeout after sinking three of their first four 3-pointers in the opening 4:16 of the contest. Malik Thomas exploded for a season-high 13 points in the first seven minutes of play, posting a 5-for-5 mark from the field with three triples, to help the Cavaliers extend their lead to 26-11 at the next timeout. Virginia’s defense forced 11 turnovers and grabbed seven steals to hold Marshall to 33 first-half points. Jacari White drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer to put Virginia up 61-33 at the break.

Midway through the second half, the Cavaliers went eight minutes without a made field goal, allowing the Thundering Herd to shrink their deficit to 18 [83-65] at the 7:00 mark. De Ridder snapped that streak with a triple, and then Dallin Hall hit two from deep to push Virginia’s lead to 96-71. A Johann Grünloh layup followed by a jumper from De Ridder gave the Cavaliers their first 100-point game since 2018-19, when they defeated Marshall 100-74 at JPJ.

UP NEXT
Virginia battles Northwestern in the Skechers Greenbrier Tip-Off on Friday, Nov. 21. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.