CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) - Malcolm Brogdon scored 13 points and No. 2 Virginia ran its home winning streak to 21 games with a 57-28 victory against Georgia Tech on Thursday night.
Nine other players scored on a balanced night for the Cavaliers (18-0, 6-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who pretty much broke the game open with a 10-0 first-half run because of how effective their defense was against the Yellow Jackets. The burst turned a 13-10 lead into a 13-point margin that never again dipped into single digits.
Virginia led 28-16 at halftime and, at the midpoint of the second half, Georgia Tech (9-9, 0-6) had added just four more points and trailed 41-20 as Cavaliers reserves started anticipating a chance to play.
Georgia Tech became the third team held under 30 points and the ninth team in 18 games held to 20 or fewer points in the first half against the Cavaliers this season. Virginia also lowered its nation-leading scoring defense average of 50.6 points.
The game was the first of two straight for Virginia against teams seeking their first ACC victory of the season. The Cavaliers are traveling to Blacksburg on Sunday to face Virginia Tech (8-10, 0-5), then will wait six days before welcoming No. 5 Duke for a much-anticipated game at John Paul Jones Arena.
This one had very little anticipation, and was Virginia’s 14th double-digit victory this season.
After an inside basket by Charles Mitchell and Marcus Georges-Hunt’s drive pulled the Yellow Jackets within 13-10, Isaiah Wilkins made a 3-pointer for the Cavaliers and Justin Anderson followed a miss at the other end with a two-handed dunk. Brogdon’s layup and Anderson’s 3-pointer completed the burst, and when Georges-Hunt scored with 3:23 left, it was Georgia Tech’s first points in 7 minutes, 16 seconds.
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