VILLANOVA, Pa. – Virginia defeated Villanova 93-71 in a men’s basketball exhibition tonight (Oct. 22) at Finneran Pavilion.
ACC Preseason Player of the Year Thijs De Ridder led UVA with 17 points and Elijah Gertrude added 16 points off the bench as five Cavaliers scored in double figures. Preseason All-ACC second-team selection Chance Mallory (15), Sam Lewis (13) and Nolan Adekunle (11) also reached double figures in UVA’s final tune-up of the preseason. Mallory added a team-high five rebounds and chipped in three assists, while Gertrude recorded a game-high five steals.
The Cavaliers led by 12 points at halftime and out-scored the Wildcats 42-32 in the second half to secure the win. UVA drilled 17 3-pointers, highlighted by Gertrude’s 5 of 6 effort, and out-rebounded Villanova 37-32 in its second straight exhibition win. The Cavaliers routed Richmond 96-53 on Oct. 9.
Virginia jumped to an 8-1 lead highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers by De Ridder and Adekunle before Villanova answered with an 11-0 run to gain a 12-10 lead. UVA’s 14-0 run gave the Cavaliers a 26-14 advantage, but the Wildcats countered with an 8-0 run before a Lewis 3-pointer. Consecutive 3-pointers from Gertrude and Mallory highlighted an 8-0 run and UVA carried a 51-39 advantage into halftime. De Ridder scored 12 points in the opening stanza and Gertrude added 10, including a four-point play near the end of the half.
No. 9 Virginia opens the regular season against Drexel on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 7:30 p.m. The game will be televised on ACC Network and broadcast on the Virginia Sports Radio Network.