CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) -- Virginia coach Pete Gillen says his players
have heard too much about how they can't defend and can't win on
the road.
After defeating Clemson 104-76 on Saturday and holding the Atlantic
Coast Conference's top scorer to a season low in scoring, maybe the Cavaliers (No. 12 ESPN/USA Today, No. 13 AP) won't have to hear such talk any more.
"That was our best defensive effort of the season," Gillen
said.
All you had to do was watch the face of Clemson star Will
Solomon to know that. Shots that have fallen all year spun in and
out. He often ran down the court with his face crinkled up in
wonder.
"When those shots didn't go in, I guess I got down on myself,"
said Solomon, who finished with just 10 points on 2-of-14 shooting.
"I let my emotions take over."
Virginia's defense had something to do with that.
The team was stung, Adam Hall said, after North Carolina's
Joseph Forte scored 33 points -- 19 in the second half -- in an 88-81
loss at North Carolina this past Wednesday.
"He basically beat us all by himself," said Hall, who had 17
points and 12 rebounds and prime responsibility for guarding
Solomon. "We didn't want that to happen again."
Chris Williams had 22 points and Donald Hand 20 to lead the
Cavaliers (14-4, 3-4).
Williams had 12 points in the opening half as the Cavaliers
(14-4, 3-4 ACC) ran out to a 24-point lead in the first 15 minutes.
He had consecutive 3-pointers to start a 34-10 run and carry
Virginia to its third win its last five games.
The Cavaliers made sure to pay extra attention to Solomon, who
set his career high of 43 against them here last season and scored
41 for the Tigers (10-10, 1-6) in their loss to Georgia Tech this
past Wednesday.
"We know Will can beat us, we wanted other guys to beat us,"
Gillen said.
Solomon missed his first six shots and was 1-for-10 for the
first half. He scored 10 points -- 13 fewer than his average -- to
barely continue his 49-game streak of double-figure scoring.
Freshman Chris Hobbs led Clemson with 28 points and nine
rebounds.
Virginia made a season-best 12 3-pointers, eclipsing its
previous mark of 11 set against Florida State in an 89-71 victory
Jan. 16.
Travis Watson had 18 points for Virginia.
Things don't get easier for the Cavaliers, with home games
against nationally ranked Maryland and Wake Forest next week.
But Hand thinks the Clemson performance can carry over to those
games.
"We have no problem scoring, we just can't get stops," said
Hand. "We have to do a better job buckling down in our halfcourt
defense. Tonight we took a big step in the right direction."
The Cavaliers' fifth victory over Clemson in their past six
meetings became a laugher early on.
After Tony Stockman's 3-pointer drew the Tigers to 21-12, they
went almost seven minutes without a point.
Williams had a three-point play that increased the lead to
26-12. His inside bucket gave the Cavs a 38-16 lead and his two
foul shots with 17 seconds to go made it 47-28 at halftime.
Virginia "played like a hungry team today," Clemson coach
Larry Shyatt said. "We were outplayed from start to finish and we
simply did not have the intensity we needed."
Nor the usual scoring from Solomon, who leaves the Tigers in a
big hole when he can't connect. Only one other player, freshman
Tony Stockman at 12.4 points, averages in double figures.
The Cavaliers "did a great job rotating players on me," said
Solomon, who had six of Clemson's 10 turnovers. "Especially, if I
beat one, they would have two guys waiting for me in the paint."
Clarke Bynum, the former Clemson player who last month helped
saved a hijacked jetliner from peril, was honored at halftime. He
received a commendation from university president Jim Barker.
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ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard
Virginia Clubhouse
Clemson Clubhouse
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