Sunday, November 18, 2001

Johnson City, Tenn. (Nov. 18, 2001) - The No. 11 Virginia Cavaliers opened the second half on a 21-9 run after a close first half and went on to defeat the East Tennessee State Buccaneers, 85-62 Sunday afternoon from University Hall in Charlottesville, Va. The Cavaliers (2-0) led 42-31 at halftime against the rugged Buccaneers. It was 53-38 after Cavalier sophomore forward J.C. Mathis scored with 15:17 to go, and 63-40 when UVA senior guard Adam Hall's two free throws finished his spurt with 12:01 remaining. "We tried to mix defenses to try to keep them off balance as best we could," Buccaneers coach Ed DeChellis said. "They're just much bigger and stronger, athletic and quick. We just couldn't keep up the pace." The Buccaneers were called for 28 fouls to Virginia's 16, and the Cavaliers had a 31-12 advantage in scoring from the line. East Tennessee State (1-1), which beat Guilford 90-61 in its opener Friday night, never got back in it as Virginia coach Pete Gillen emptied his bench, getting plenty of experience for his top four freshmen. The Bucs were led by sophomores Jerald Fields (Gainesville, Fla.) and Zakee Wadood (Lonoke, Ark.) who each scored 12 points. Freshman Tiras Wade (Tampa, Fla.) continued his stellar play with 11 points on the afternoon. UVA was led by junior forward Travis Watson, who had a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Senior guard Chris Williams notched 13 points for the Cavaliers. The Bucs return to action Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. as they face Virginia Commonwealth University from the Alltel Pavilion in Richmond, Va.