McKneely, Beekman power Virginia's 84-62 win over Syracuse in ACC opener
Elijah Gertrude elevates for dunk vs. Syracuse Orange
Elijah Gertrude elevates for dunk vs. Syracuse Orange
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- — Isaac McKneely scored 22 points, Reece Beekman added 13 points with eight assists, and hot-shooting Virginia defeated Syracuse 84-62 in an ACC opener on Saturday.
McKneely was 8-for-11 shooting, making 6-of-8 3-pointers, and grabbed five rebounds. Andrew Rohde added 10 points, four assists and three rebounds. Virginia shot 54.5% for the game and made 12 of 21 3-pointers (57.1%).
The Cavaliers (7-1) hit eight 3-pointers in the first 12 1/2 minutes of the second half, pushing a 13-point halftime lead to 33 points, 75-42. The Orange struggled from 3-point distance in the second half, making only 2 of 12, but a 10-0 run over a 3-minute stretch helped cut their deficit to 22 points by game's end.
JJ Starling led Syracuse (5-3) with 16 points and Maliq Brown added 10. Syracuse shot 40.7% overall and 5-for-20 on 3-pointers.
Judah Mintz, who leads Syracuse in scoring this season (20.4ppg coming in), was held to five points after going for a career-high 33 against LSU earlier in the week. Beekman was the primary defender against Mintz.
McKneely made 4 of 6 3-pointers and scored 16 points in the first, leading Virginia to a 37-24 halftime lead. The score was tied at 17 with 7 minutes left and the Cavaliers led 19-18 a minute later before closing the half an 18-6 run in which McKneely scored eight points.
Virginia improved to 15-0 in ACC openers under coach Tony Bennett.
Virginia returns to nonconference play with a home game against North Carolina Central on Tuesday. Syracuse also has a nonconference home game on Tuesday, against Cornell.
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Game Information
- Referees:
- Raymie Styons
- Clarence Armstrong
- Jamie Luckie
2023-24 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings
Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
---|---|---|---|
North Carolina | 17-3 | - | 29-8 |
Duke | 15-5 | 2 | 27-9 |
Virginia | 13-7 | 4 | 23-11 |
Pittsburgh | 12-8 | 5 | 22-11 |
Clemson | 11-9 | 6 | 24-12 |
Syracuse | 11-9 | 6 | 20-12 |
Wake Forest | 11-9 | 6 | 21-14 |
Virginia Tech | 10-10 | 7 | 19-15 |
Florida State | 10-10 | 7 | 17-16 |
NC State | 9-11 | 8 | 26-15 |
Boston College | 8-12 | 9 | 20-16 |
Georgia Tech | 7-13 | 10 | 14-18 |
Notre Dame | 7-13 | 10 | 13-20 |
Miami | 6-14 | 11 | 15-17 |
Louisville | 3-17 | 14 | 8-24 |