Huff, Hauser lead No. 9 Virginia past UNC, 60-48

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Jay Huff had 18 points and 12 rebounds and No. 9 Virginia took control early and beat North Carolina for the seventh consecutive time 60-48. Sam Hauser added 17 points for 15-3 Virginia and Trey Murphy III had 12 as the ACC-leading Cavaliers won their fourth in a row.

“It’s always a battle of kind of imposing your will or systems against them, so I liked how we had a level of patience and movement offensively, that helped us and then we didn’t give up too many easy breakdowns. A couple at the rim but not too many,” said head coach Tony Bennett.

The Cavaliers led 21-4 midway through the first half as the Tar Heels missed 13 of their first 15 shots. North Carolina closed to within 27-18 by halftime, but never threatened. The Tar Heels finished just 2 for 16 from 3-point territory.

“It’s just hard work and preparation for the game. We spend a lot of time (on) scout and focusing on what we need to do. We’re getting better every game. That’s what I can see, so I feel like we just keep working on what we do, we’ll be good,” said Cavaliers guard Reece Beekman.