#2 Virginia Shoots Past Syracuse, 79-53

Monday, March 4

Syracuse, N.Y.

7 P.M.

Syracuse University

(19-11) (10-7)

Virginia

(27-2) (15-2)

Virginia

Syracuse

3/4/2019 8:54:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. – #2 Virginia (27-2,15-2 ACC) connected on 18-of-25 3-point attempts and pulled away in the second half to defeat host Syracuse (19-11, 10-7 ACC), 79-53, in front of 29,052 in the Carrier Dome.

While the Cavaliers were setting a Syracuse opponent and Dome record for 3-pointers (18), the nation's top defensive squad also excelled, limiting the Orange to 19 second-half points.

Elijah Hughes and Buddy Boeheim led the Orange with 11 points apiece. It was Hughes' fifth straight game in double-digits and his 23^rd of the season. Oshae Brissett and Paschal Chukwu tied for team honors with a game-high eight rebounds each.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Despite being up 40-37 at the under-16 media timeout, Syracuse could not stop Virginia's hot shooting efforts. The Cavaliers went on a 32-6 run over the course of the next 11 minutes while the Orange went ice cold. Virginia went 8-of-9 from behind the arc as Kyle Guy led them with 12 points during the explosive run.

COACH BOEHEIM'S THOUGHTS
"We moved the ball the best we've moved it all year in the first half. We didn't really shoot it that well, but we moved the ball and got good shots. Second half, we were too stationary. Part of that is because Virginia picked up their defense a little bit."

VIRGINIA FIRES FROM THREE
The Cavaliers came out firing, opening the game with a 7-of-9 look from behind the arc and totaling eight 3-pointers in the first half. There was no cooling off Virginia after halftime as the Cavaliers added another 10. Virginia's 18 3-pointers tied the Cavalier school record for the most 3's in a game.

BACK AND FORTH FIRST HALF
The first half was a tight one as neither team took more than a six-point lead. In a half that featured four ties and 14 lead changes, both teams shot above 38 percent from the floor. Syracuse's largest lead of the game, 31-25, came following a 9-1 run that included back-to-back baskets from Boeheim. Virginia put together seven consecutive points, before Frank Howard's trey gave Syracuse the slim, 34-32, halftime lead.

OF NOTE

Virginia was the third top-five opponent for the Orange in the last four games
Virginia extended its series lead to 7-5 and took a 3-2 lead in games played in the Dome.
Battle's 11 points moved him into 16^th all-time at Syracuse with 1,621 in his career. He is now 39 points shy of C.J. Fair in 15^th.
Syracuse honored its five seniors – Adrian Autry, Antonio Balandi, Ky Feldman, Chukwu and Howard - prior to the start of the game.
Virginia entered the contest leading the country in scoring defense (54.1 ppg) and held Syracuse to a season-low 53 points.
Syracuse scored 34 points in the first half, only the fifth time this year Virginia has allowed 30+ in a half.
The Cavaliers committed eight turnovers in the first half but limited themselves to only two in the second.
Chukwu had a balanced night with eight points, eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks. He is 7-of-8 from the field in the last two games for the Orange.
Syracuse held a 19-14 rebounding margin following the first half, but Virginia ended the game with a two-board advantage, 35-33.

UP NEXT
The Orange will conclude the regular season with a road contest on Saturday, March 9 against Clemson. The noon tip will be broadcast on CBS.

Saturday's game will finalize the seeding for the ACC Tournament, which is set to take place March 12-16 in Charlotte, N.C.