Kyle Guy's 20 leads No. 7 Virginia to 56-point win

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Freshman guard Kyle Guy scored 20 points in 13 minutes, and No. 7 Virginia ran off 26 consecutive points to end the first half of a 90-34 victory against Grambling State on Tuesday night.

Guy, who was Mr. Basketball in Indiana last season, shot 6 of 7 from the floor, including 5 of 6 from 3-point range, for the Cavaliers (4-0). Virginia coach Tony Bennett removed him with 10:51 remaining and started substituting with walk-ons very early.

Marcel Thompson led Grambling State (1-3) with eight points.

Guy, the most heralded of a vaunted freshman class for Virginia, causes a stir in the crowd every time he shows off his quick release. When his shot falls, fans go wild because the hype seems legit. He whetted their appetite in the previous game by scoring 15 points, and was even better against the Tigers.

Marial Shayok and Darius Thompson added 12 points apiece for Virginia.

Grambling State, meanwhile, might want to lose Virginia's phone number. The Cavaliers led 49-9 at halftime after the 26-0 burst, their largest lead at the break since the only other time they played Grambling, in 2001. They led that game 68-25 at intermission.

BIG PICTURE

Grambling State: The Tigers have five seniors on their roster, which should bode well when they get to their level of play in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, but they also have seven freshmen and are no doubt using the pay-day portion of their schedule to try to blend young and old into something more cohesive.

Virginia: The preseason is over for the Cavaliers, who used their first four games to incorporate Guy, redshirt freshman Mamadi Diakite and freshman Ty Jerome into the rotation, a process that might have become more urgent when talented low post scorer Austin Nichols was dismissed from the team last Friday. The schedule gets more serious for Virginia now with its next games against Iowa, Providence or Memphis, Ohio State, West Virginia and East Carolina.