No. 9 Virginia defeated No. 12 Arkansas 91-72 on Sunday in Washington, collecting its first marquee win of the season behind a double-double from Thijs De Ridder and double-figure scoring from all five starters, Field Level Media reported.
The Cavaliers improved to 3-0 at the Capital Showcase, while the Razorbacks fell to 1-1. Virginia sank 12 3-pointers, grabbed 19 offensive rebounds and compiled a 24-6 advantage in points off turnovers, according to yournews.com.
De Ridder delivered 16 points and 10 rebounds. After picking up two fouls in the first 1:43, he returned to the bench and hit a 3-pointer that sparked a 15-3 run, putting Virginia up 27-16 with 6:57 remaining until halftime, Field Level Media reported.
The Cavaliers ended the first half on an 11-2 run, establishing a 46-27 lead at the break.
Sam Lewis scored 16 points, Johann Grunloh added 15 points and five blocks, Chance Mallory contributed 15 points and six assists, and Nolan Adekunle scored 13. Consecutive 3-pointers by Lewis gave Virginia its largest lead of the game at 74-47 with 9:34 remaining, according to Field Level Media.
Virginia shot 37.5% from 3-point range (12 of 32) and committed only nine turnovers. Arkansas shot 36.8% from downtown (7 of 19).
Playing in his hometown, Jordan Smith Jr. led the Razorbacks with 19 points and four steals. Miikka Muurinen scored 12 points, while Jeremiah Wilkinson and Billy Richmond III each had 11. Abdou Toure chipped in 10 off the bench, yournews.com reported.
Down by 22 early in the second half, Arkansas cut the deficit to 51-35 on Muurinen’s 3-pointer with 16:55 to play. Virginia answered with two free throws by Grunloh and a 3-pointer by Elijah Gertrude for a 56-35 cushion.
The victory marked Virginia’s first marquee win of the campaign after going 1-4 against ranked opponents last season. Arkansas also struggled with early foul trouble, as Muurinen saw just three minutes of first-half action, while Wilkinson, who scored 23 in the season opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, had not scored by halftime, Field Level Media reported.
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