PHILADELPHIA, PA (WTKR)- It wasn't how they drew it up, but Virginia basketball is back in the March Madness win column.
The Cavaliers cooled off a hot-shooting Wright State team to down the Raiders, 82-73, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday afternoon.
Wright State came out firing from beyond the arc, knocking down eight first half three-pointers en route to a 43-38 halftime lead. Solomon Callaghan scored 16 points before the break to help the Raiders build the advantage.
But the Cavaliers regrouped at halftime, coming out more focused and aggressive on the defensive end of the floor. UVA opened the second half with five straight stops and quickly tied the game at 43. Wright State hung around for most of the half, holding a 70-69 lead with 5:32 remaining, but a Jacari White lay-up with 4:07 to play put the Wahoos ahead for good. The Cavaliers held the Raiders to 34 percent from the floor in the second half.
White paced the Virginia offense, scoring 26 points on 10-of-12 shooting and knocked down six triples. Sam Lewis added 12 points, Malik Thomas scored 11 points and Thijs De Ridder chipped in 10 points. The team's 13 three-pointers in the contest marked an NCAA Tournament best for the program.
UVA owned the boards, winning the rebound battle, 39-24.
The victory snapped a three game losing streak in the big dance for the Cavaliers, who had not won an NCAA Tournament contest since their 2019 national championship. It also gave the program its 30th victory of the campaign.
Next up for Ryan Odom's group is Tennessee, which topped Miami (OH) on Friday, 78-56.
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