Cavaliers Now

Dunn Soars, Virginia Smothers Texas Southern 62-33

Ryan Dunn tallied 15 points, five rebounds, four blocks, three steals and a posterizing dunk to lead the Cavaliers past the Tigers

Matt Newton

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After watching his team record 10 blocks and 13 steals and hold the opponent to just 33 points and 26% shooting from the floor, Tony Bennett was quick to point out that the stats don't tell the whole story. 

"I thought our energy was excellent... but I thought we had a lot of breakdowns and our individual athleticism covered. And I said to the guys after - great energy, but turning the ball over against them and some of the breakdowns we had defensively where the ball got right into the paint, but at the last second we poke it away, steal it, block it - that's not gonna fly."

Quintessential Tony Bennett. He saw right through the propped up numbers of a 29-point win and dissected the mistakes his Cavaliers made that could cost them in the next couple of weeks as they take a significant step up in competition level. 

Virginia played its sloppiest game of the season to date, turning the ball over 11 times and giving up 13 offensive rebounds, but thanks to their high energy and athleticism, the Cavaliers were still able to smother the visiting Tigers and grind out a 62-33 victory over Texas Southern on Thursday night at John Paul Jones Arena to improve to 4-0 on the season. 

With Isaac McKneely out with an ankle injury, Dante Harris slid in and made his first start in a Virginia uniform. Harris, who had attempted just one three-pointer through the first three games, took two threes and made them both. Even with that, UVA did not have good night shooting the ball from the perimeter, making just five threes on 16 attempts (31.3%), showing the impact of McKneely's absence. 

It was a sloppy start to the game all around, as both teams had made just three shots and neither had reached double digits by the second media timeout. It was Ryan Dunn who provided the spark Virginia needed to get going offensively. Reece Beekman threw him a lob from well beyond half-court and Dunn nearly converted the alley-oop slam, but was fouled. He made both free throws and then proceeded to give himself another dunk opportunity with a steal on Texas Southern's next possession. Dunn took the ball the length of the court and Jaylen Wysinger tried to stand in and take the charge, but Dunn leapt over him and delivered an early candidate for dunk of the year with a posterizing one-hand jam plus the foul. 

"[It was] an energy play," Dunn said of the dunk after the game. "Kind of like last year, just coming in and bringing those plays into the stadium, get the crowd hype, get everything going. And I think we've seen it - after that play we got a lot of stops, I feel like."

Dunn then knocked down a corner three as part of a 13-3 run that helped Virginia build a double digit lead. 

UVA played a smothering first half of defense, forcing 11 turnovers and posting seven steals and six blocks. The Tigers made just five shots from the floor, but Virginia's offense wasn't much better, shooting 9/22 from the field. Dunn had nine points, three boards, two blocks, and two steals to help Virginia take a 26-14 lead at the half. 

UVA scored five-straight points to start the second half, but then Texas Southern scored the next six and went on a 9-2 run to get back within 11 points. The Cavaliers tightened up defensively after that and held the Tigers scoreless for the next eight minutes and seven seconds. That scoring drought allowed Virginia to go on a 14-0 run and seize control of the game, leading 52-25 with seven minutes to go. 

Virginia cruised from there and was again able to empty its bench with walk-ons Tristan How and Bryce Walker getting minutes at the end of the game for the second time this week. 

Ryan Dunn gets the game ball for Virginia as he paced the Cavaliers with 15 points on 3/5 shooting and 8/9 from the free throw line. He also posted five rebounds, two assists, four blocks, and three steals in a brilliant all-around performance. 

Ten different Cavaliers scored in the game, including eight each from Reece Beekman and Leon Bond III. Beekman contributed four assists, three blocks, and four steals, and Bond added three rebounds and three steals off the bench. 

Now 4-0 on the season, Virginia will head down to Florida next week to participate in the Fort Myers Tip-Off. UVA will take on Wisconsin on Monday at 6pm and then will face either SMU or West Virginia on Wednesday. 

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.

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