Virginia knew Wednesday night’s contest with former conference foe Maryland would be its toughest road test so far this season. The Cavaliers didn’t know how much extra adversity was waiting in College Park, though.
The Hoos lost two starters to injury when Darion Atkins fell on his back in the first half and Justin Anderson hurt his ankle in the second half. Beyond that duo, UVa also had seven players with at least three fouls. Yet, the No. 6 Cavaliers never trailed and answered every run from the No. 21 Terrapins in a 76-65 ACC/Big Ten Challenge victory. As a result, Virginia is off to an 8-0 start for the first time since 2003-04.
“I think our guys showed composure. I think we handled playing with foul trouble very well, but we picked it up as the game wore on and got big performances from some of the guys off the bench,” Cavalier coach Tony Bennett said on the Virginia Sports Radio Network. “It was certainly a festive environment and it was good for us to come away with one.”
With the injuries and foul trouble, UVa needed its depth to come through as part of a complete team effort that saw four players reach double figures. Malcolm Brogdon led the way with 18 points and Anderson added 16 of his own before leaving with what looked like an ankle sprain. Anthony Gill recorded 11 points and six rebounds in the starting line-up as well.
The Wahoos got a big night from Mike Tobey off the bench in particular as he tallied 14 points, six rebounds, and two blocked shots. That included a near perfect night at the free throw line (six of seven). Tobey came through with several physical rebounds at key moments and added some key buckets around the rim too.
Tobey helped steady the ship early in the second half too when Maryland still stood within seven points at 39-32. With 18:37 to go, Tobey converted an old-fashioned three-point play on an assist from Marial Shayok, who chipped in nine points off the bench too. That pushed the lead to 10 points and the Terrapins never got closer than eight again in the second half. That’s right, despite all the challenges, UVa spent almost the entire second half up by at least three possessions and often by double figures.
“I think it was a great team [win] for us, a great test,” Tobey said on the Virginia Sports Radio Network. “There were a lot of things going against us with the injuries and foul trouble, but a lot of freshman stepped up, especially Marial. A lot of people stepped up and I think it really shows the depth of our team and the toughness of our team to not fall back.”
Maryland’s final rally attempts in the final 10 minutes met a swift Virginia response. The Terrapins closed to 54-44 with 9:53 to play, but the Hoos posted seven straight points to end that threat. A 10-3 run by the hosts cut the Cavalier advantage to 64-54 with 5:45 remaining. The Wahoos rattled off a quick 11-3 surge there to eliminate any comeback hopes. A pair of three-pointers from Brogdon and Evan Nolte keyed that burst.
Brogdon finished the night with 18 points on six-of-10 shooting, which was part of a strong offensive night for the Hoos. They shot 53.1% (26 of 49) in the game as only Nolte struggled among the players with at least four shots (he was one for five). UVa also held Maryland to 40% shooting (16 of 40), including a 31.3% (five-of-16) night for the Terps’ starting backcourt of Melo Trimble and Richaud Pack. Trimble led his team with 16 points thanks to a 12-14 outing at the free throw line, while Pack added 11.
UVa also held a 34-22 edge in rebounding and a 36-20 advantage in points in the paint.
“I thought Virginia was terrific from the beginning to the end. I thought their defense showed what Virginia is about and I thought their execution was better,” Terps coach Mark Turgeon said. “They came into this game struggling offensively and we gave them too many layups. Out of 26 buckets, 18 of them were layups. Our defense was not good enough and for us to beat a team like Virginia; we have to be a lot better defensively. Give them a lot of credit. We did not quit and we kept trying to respond and I think we will be a better team after playing Virginia tonight.”
