Sam Lewis poured in 23 points and No. 21 Virginia never trailed in a 76-61 victory against North Carolina State on Saturday in Raleigh, N.C.
The Cavaliers (12-2, 1-1 ACC) led by as many as 27 points to give first-year head coach Ryan Odom his first victory in the conference.
Thijs De Ridder added 14 points, Malik Thomas posted 13 and reserve Devin Tillis provided 10. Lewis connected on five 3-point shots — the same as the Wolfpack’s total (5 of 20).
Quadir Copeland’s 15 points led NC State (10-5, 1-1), which was looking to knock off a ranked team for the first time this season (0-3 now). Paul McNeil Jr. added 13 points and Alyn Breed had 12, but the Wolfpack shot just 36% (18 of 50) and were outrebounded 36-24.
Virginia, which overcame 14 turnovers, finished with 13 baskets from both 3-point range and from 2-point distance.
The Cavaliers, despite a three-overtime loss Wednesday at Virginia Tech, came out energized for a game with a late-morning tip-off. Lewis, who began the day averaging 8.8 points per game, had 15 by halftime — matching the Toledo transfer’s highest total of the season.
Virginia held a 40-20 halftime lead and scored the first two points of the second half before hitting a dry spell. The Wolfpack produced an 18-4 run to trim the deficit to 46-38.
Tillis had back-to-back baskets, including a 3-pointer, as the Cavaliers rebuilt their edge to 58-42. By the time Lewis drained a 3-pointer from the corner, Virginia held a 66-44 advantage.
The Cavaliers’ largest lead was 74-47 on Dallin Hall’s 3-pointer.
Lewis scored 12 of Virginia’s first 15 points, outscoring the entire NC State team through the first 11 minutes. The Cavaliers then went up 23-13 on the way to a 33-14 advantage. NC State went through a stretch of more than four minutes with just one point.
–Field Level Media
