No. 4 Virginia blows out Morgan State to remain undefeated

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) De'Andre Hunter and Kyle Guy scored 15 points each and Virginia beat Morgan State 83-45 on Monday night.

Nine different Cavaliers scored during a 24-6 first-half burst that turned a 23-14 lead into a 47-20 runaway. Virginia (8-0) then kept the defensive clamps on the Bears, who didn't make their third field goal of the second half until 1:57 remained.

Malik Miller and Victor Curry led the Bears (2-5) with seven points apiece. Morgan State was 5 for 28 (19.7 percent) from the field in the second half and missed all eight of its 3-point tries. For the game, the Bears shot 14 for 54 (25.9 percent).

Virginia was sloppy early with six turnovers in the first 12 minutes, but shot well from the start. The Cavaliers made 15 of 23 shots (65.2 percent) in the opening half, including 7 of 11 (63.6) from 3-point range. Braxton Key began the long run in the first half with a pair of free throws, and by the time Cody Stattmann capped it with a 3-pointer, nine of the Cavaliers who scored in the half had done so during the run.

With the expected mismatch, Virginia coach Tony Bennett used his bench liberally, inserting 10 players in the first half.

The biggest cheer after halftime came in the closing minutes when team manager Grant Kersey, who gets to dress for home games, fed fellow walk-on Austin Katstra for a fast-break dunk. Moments later, Katstra fed Kersey for a layup and a three-point play.

BIG PICTURE

Morgan State: The Bears' paying-the-bills schedule has done them no favors as they lost 100-77 to No. 21 Villanova and 91-63 at DePaul before coming to John Paul Jones Arena. The tough slate, though, could pay off later in the season when Morgan State gets into the thick of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play.

Virginia: The Cavaliers started the night ranked third nationally in scoring defense (52.4 ppg) and had limited three teams - Coppin State, Towson and Wisconsin - to fewer than 50 points. Virginia also was among the national leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.2), scoring margin (21.1) and 3-point field goal percentage (40.8).

UP NEXT

Morgan State: The Bears have a quick turnaround, returning home to face Binghamton on Wednesday night.

Virginia: The Cavaliers play state rival VCU at home on Sunday.

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