William & Mary Tribe vs Virginia Cavaliers Box Score on Dec 22, 2020

Trey Murphy scored 15 points Tuesday and No. 16 Virginia didn't look like a team that hadn't played in 18 days as it cruised to a 76-40 nonconference rout of William & Mary in Charlottesville, Va.

The Cavaliers (4-1) had four straight games postponed or canceled due to COVID-19 concerns, the last two after their program experienced positive tests. But they appeared to be in midseason form on both ends of the floor against the Tribe (2-3).

Kihei Clark set an immediate tone by hitting a layup 15 seconds into the game, kick-starting an 11-2 run before the first TV timeout. Clark finished off the run with another layup, and Tomas Woldetensae chipped in a 3-pointer.

Clark tacked on another layup and a couple of assists as Virginia kept executing its halfcourt offense with precision. Casey Morsell checked in off the bench with a dunk and layup, and then Murphy got going.

In the span of 73 seconds, Murphy canned a long 2-pointer, a 3-pointer and then a transition layup that increased the lead to 26-6 at the 7:20 mark. When the Cavaliers had their one hiccup, a scoreless stretch of more than 4 1/2 minutes, Murphy ended it with another 3-ball.

Sam Hauser got into the act with a 3-pointer with 37.4 seconds left in the half, enabling Virginia to head for the locker room with a 36-14 cushion.

Yuri Covington, who paced W&M with 12 points, gave it a brief boost to start the second half with a layup and a 3-pointer. The Tribe got within 16 before the Cavaliers quashed any long-shot comeback hopes with a 9-0 run.

It was an ideal tuneup for tougher games for Virginia, such as its date Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas, against No. 1 Gonzaga.

Kadin Shedrick finished with 10 points for the Cavaliers, who ended the day canning 51.9 percent of their field goal attempts. Virginia forced 15 turnovers and committed just seven.

--Field Level Media