Virginia Wraps Up Non-Conference Play With 79-44 Win Over Morgan State

The Cavaliers got back in the win column with a 35-point victory over the Bears, building some momentum entering ACC play

Virginia (10-2) wrapped up non-conference play with a comfortable 79-44 victory over Morgan State (4-11) on Wednesday night at John Paul Jones Arena. 

It was a wire-to-wire victory for the Cavaliers, who scored eight of the game's first ten points and smothered the visiting Bears, who made just six field goals and mustered only 16 points in the first half. Meanwhile, Virginia shot 52.9% from the floor in the first half and built a 43-16 halftime lead behind 11 points and five assists from Reece Beekman, who finished with a game-high 17 points to go along with seven assists, two blocks and a steal. 

Morgan State executed with more efficiency on the offensive end in the second half, with Kamron Hobbs and Rob Lawson knocking down two threes each and combining to score 27 of Morgan State's 44 total points. Still, UVA's lead was never in doubt as the Cavaliers made 10 threes on 43.5% shooting and had 22 assists as a team to just five turnovers, a good sign after they turned the ball over 18 times in last week's loss at Memphis. 

Andrew Rohde, Jake Groves, and Leon Bond III joined Beekman in double figures with eight points apiece. Ryan Dunn struggled to finish around the rim, but still posted a bear double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Virginia outscored Morgan State 38-12 in the paint and had 28 points from its bench, including six points from Jordan Minor, who matched a season-high with 12 minutes played. 

Virginia finishes non-conference play 9-2 (10-2 overall) and now fully enters ACC play for the rest of the regular season, starting with a road trip to South Bend to take on Notre Dame on Saturday at 12pm on the ACC Network. 

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