No. 7 Virginia downs No. 21 Maryland, 76-65

Junior Justin Anderson fell as play continued, dragging himself toward the baseline and soon collapsing flat on his back. Within moments, it was clear that Virginia’s leading scorer was about to make an early and unfortunate exit.

But as Anderson laid there on the court Wednesday night, flanked by team trainers massaging and prodding his ankle, the crowd at Xfinity Center — an announced 15,371 — never quieted. If anything, the cheers only grew louder. Soon, music was blaring through the arena speakers, drowning out the crowd noise as Anderson limped off the floor.

There was no longer an ACC logo adorning the free-throw line, but beyond that, not much had changed.

“Same as last year,” Malcolm Brogdon said. “They’re still one of our key rivals every year when we play them.”

No. 21 Maryland and No. 7 Virginia met in a non-conference game Wednesday for the first time since 1953, but traces of the history between the two teams remained clear. They committed a combined 47 fouls in 40 minutes. Chants of “Virginia [stinks]” filled the air. And in the Cavaliers’ 76-65 victory, defense ultimately made the difference.

“I thought Virginia was terrific from the beginning to the end,” Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said. “Their defense showed what Virginia is about.”

Brogdon led all scorers with 18 points while center Mike Tobey scored 14 and Anderson had 16 before leaving the game midway through the second half. Virginia coach Tony Bennett did not know the extent of Anderson’s injury when he spoke to the media shortly after the game.

With the win, the Cavaliers improved to 8-0 for the first time since 2003-04.

Freshman Melo Trimble led Maryland with 16 points, 12 of which came at the free-throw line. The Terrapins (7-1) shot 40 percent from the field.

“They’re a great defensive team, but I think we missed some open looks tonight. Especially me,” said forward Jake Layman, who finished with 14 points. “But for us as a team, if we’re not going to shoot well one night, then we need to be able to rely on our defense. And it wasn’t very good tonight.”

Virginia seized a 4-0 lead from the opening-tip, led by as many as 17 points and never trailed. Maryland, on the other hand, sputtered in the opening frame and seemed lost at times without senior Dez Wells, leaning on free throws for a significant chunk of its offensive production in the first half.

The Cavaliers entered the game as the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense at 43.6 points per game. Terrapins guard Richaud Pack said Virginia was attacking ball-screens in a way they had not seen yet this season, posing their most difficult challenge to date.

When asked if Virginia’s defense was the best he had seen in his career, Pack was complimentary.

“Maybe close. Maybe close,” the redshirt senior said. “They were really good.”

The Terrapins climbed back into the game as Virginia’s defense loosened due to foul trouble.

“I thought we played good defense the first five, six minutes. We stayed in position,” Bennett said. “Then we started to put our hands on a little too much and that’s obviously rules emphasis. We didn’t adjust to start the second half. Guys didn’t want to pick up fouls, so they backed off. And as the game wore on, I thought we did a better job of tightening up our defense.”

Though defensive strategies changed, the fouls continued. Of the 15 players who spent at least 10 minutes on the floor, all of them but Maryland freshman Jared Nickens finished with at least two fouls.

By the end of the game, Virginia had four players with four fouls apiece. In some stretches, the sound of the referee’s whistle was interrupted only by boos or jeers from Maryland’s crowd. It’s become something of a norm for meetings between Maryland and Virginia, the physicality serving as an indication that the rivalry is far from gone.

“It didn’t feel like they were out of the ACC, to be honest,” Virginia junior Evan Nolte said. “It just felt like one of those tough games you have to grind out with a really good opponent.”