Duke (23-3, 15-1 ACC) rolled to an 80-62 victory over Virginia (13-13, 6-9) in ACC action on Monday night in Charlottesville, Va.
The Cavaliers showed some fight early, with five lead changes in the first five minutes. However, Virginia cooled off quickly as the Blue Devils went on a dominant 19-4 run. By halftime, Duke held a comfortable 43-29 lead.
Then, things took a turn-literally. A Virginia fan was ejected from the game, seemingly having seen enough. It was like being at home and deciding to turn off the TV. Hard to blame him-it got ugly fast.
Andre Rohde and Dai Dai Ames each scored 15 points to lead the Cavaliers, while Isaac McKneely added 14. Virginia saw its three-game winning streak snapped and fell to 0-5 this season against ranked opponents.
Cooper Flagg... Who cares, they stopped our three-game winning streak and we fell to 0-5 this season against ranked opponents.
Up Next: University of North Carolina. "The Hill." "Carolina." "Tar Heel Town." "The Dean
Dome."
North Carolina jumped out to a commanding 21-2 lead. Virginia responded with a 14-3 run, but by then, it was too late. The Tar Heels drained nine three-pointers and dominated the glass, holding a 17-2 advantage in second-chance points.
The final: North Carolina (17-11, 10-6 ACC) 81, Virginia (13-14, 6-10 ACC) 66.
We're not going to win games like this.
There were at least a few positives.
Isaac McKneely reached the 1,000-point milestone, becoming the 52nd Cavalier to do so. He finished with 17 points. Dai Dai Ames continued to impress, adding 12 points.
Next Challenge for Virginia is Wake Forest on Wednesday, another tough ACC matchup. Time to bounce back, Cavs!
Written by Kevin Watson
