The #5 Virginia Cavaliers rode a strong first half and big performances from Anthony Gill and Malcolm Brogdon to win their eleventh straight game, prevailing in their ACC opener against the defending ACC champion Notre Dame Fighting Irish by a score of 77-66.

Gill posted 21 points for the Cavaliers while Brogdon led all scorers with 24. Mike Tobey came off the bench to score 15 points and boosted Virginia to a 12-1 record. Their only loss came to George Washington in the second game of the season.

However, possibly the most impressive stat of the day for Virginia was holding star Notre Dame forward Zach Auguste to a single point in his 22 minutes. Every other Notre Dame starter recorded at least 10 points.

Notre Dame jumped out to an 8-4 lead, but the Cavaliers thrilled the home crowd by ripping off a 14-2 run to take the lead for good. Anthony Gill scored six points during the run. During a seven and a half minute span, the Irish scored just two points, allowing the Cavaliers to run out to a big lead. They increased their lead to as much as 27-14 with just under seven minutes left in the half before the Irish engineered a brief rally. They went on a 7-2 run to close the game to just 29-21 but Virginia kept up the pressure and brought their lead right back up to the tune of a 36-24 halftime lead.

Virginia put the game away early in the second half when they scored eight straight points which boosted their lead all the way to 47-30. The early second-half run was keyed by a pair of three-pointers netted by Brogdon, igniting the home crowd.

Facing one of the best teams in the country and in a hostile environment, the Irish managed little in the form of a comeback.  The two teams traded blows for a while, with Virginia’s lead growing as large as nineteen points. Several times, Notre Dame rallied only to have it snuffed out by a Virginia run. The Cavaliers led 63-44 before the Irish gradually closed the gap. However, by that time, it was too little and too late as Virginia prevailed 77-66.

The loss was the fourth for Notre Dame which was ranked at the beginning of the season but dropped out after losses to Monmouth and Alabama, along with a loss to Indiana. Virginia was their first ranked opponent of the year. The Irish were led by 18 points from Demetrius Jackson plus 14 apiece from Bonzie Colson and Steve Vasturia. Colson was the top rebounder on the court, pulling down eight boards, even though Virginia had the overall edge in the category 30-25.

Notre Dame coach Mike Brey fell to 0-7 in his career against the Cavaliers while Virginia coach Tony Bennett improved to 5-0 versus the Irish.

Notre Dame will get a long rest before facing off against Boston College next Thursday. The Cavaliers turn right back around to face in-state rival Virginia Tech on Monday.

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