By MIKE BARBER Associated Press
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Thijs De Ridder scored 19 points lead five Virginia players in double figures as the 11th-ranked Cavaliers beat North Carolina State 90-61 on Tuesday night, cruising in their final tuneup before Saturday’s showdown at No. 1 Duke.
Virginia (25-3, 13-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) never trailed as it won its ninth straight. However, there was cause for concern for the Cavaliers when De Ridder limped off the floor and headed to the locker room with about five minutes remaining.
Sam Lewis added 16 points for the Cavaliers, who trail only the first-place Blue Devils in the ACC standings. Jacari White scored 15 and Malik Thomas added 12.
Virginia blocked 12 shots — led by 7-foot freshman Johann Grunloh with a career-high eight — and its bench outscored N.C. State’s 32-5. The Cavaliers went 12 of 26 from 3-point range.
Paul McNeil Jr. had 22 points and six rebounds for the Wolfpack (19-9, 10-5). Darrion Williams added 14 points and Ven-Allen Lubin scored 11.
An altercation in the second half led to the ejection of N.C. State’s Scottie Ebube for leaving the bench. Lewis and Williams were assessed offsetting technical fouls.
The Wolfpack were coming off an 82-58 home win over rival North Carolina last week but never got going in this one.
Virginia also beat N.C. State handily, 76-61, in the teams’ earlier meeting this season.
The Cavaliers led that game by 20 at the half. On Tuesday, they took a 32-19 lead to the locker room thanks in large part to a woeful shooting performance by the Wolfpack over the first 20 minutes.
N.C. State shot 18.2% from the floor and went 2 for 13 from 3-point range before the break.
Up next
N.C. State: Visits Notre Dame on Saturday.
Virginia: Visits No. 1 Duke on Saturday.