CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Sam Lewis and Chance Mallory each scored 20 points as No. 9 Virginia shrugged off a sluggish start and pulled away for a 97-72 win over Northeastern on Friday night.
Thijs De Ridder had 16 points, six rebounds and four assists, and Johann Grunloh, playing on an injured right ankle, added 13 points for the Cavaliers.
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Rashad King scored 26 points and guard Louis Bond added 23 for the Huskies, who committed 19 turnovers.
With a matchup against No. 12 Arkansas on tap Sunday, Virginia (2-0) got off to a dreadful start, going 2 for 10 from the field, including 0 for 7 from 3-point range, and committing four turnovers in the first eight minutes.
Virginia didn’t take its first lead until Mallory made a layup with 8:23 left in the half. The Cavaliers outscored the Huskies 22-11 over the final nine minutes of the half to take a 38-31 lead to the locker room. The two teams combined for 18 first-half turnovers, 11 by Northeastern.
But a dominant showing in the second half allowed Virginia to rest its starters for the final six minutes. That figures to be important, considering the Cavaliers are getting the bulk of their scoring from the four key players they retained from last year’s 30-win squad.
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De Ridder, Grunloh, Lewis and Mallory combined for 69 points. Reserve Elijah Gertrude, another returner from last season, had 10 points and five rebounds.
Virginia shot 61.3% from the floor and went 6 for 14 from 3-point range in the second half.
Northeastern: Hosts Harvard on Tuesday night.
Virginia: Plays No. 12 Arkansas on Sunday at Capital One Arena in Washington.
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