Wahoo Wire

Friday night the Cavaliers took on in-state opponents William and Mary to open the season with a 76-52 victory. Despite the score, the Cavs didn’t come out as dominant in the first half. The Tribe of William and Mary started the game off on a 5-0 run over the ‘Hoos creating concern for the home fans. Virginia turned the ball over 6 times in the 1st half as well as having 8 team fouls. In the final 4 minutes of the game, UVA was held scoreless and their lead quickly diminished going into half with a one point advantage 28-27 over the Tribe.

Thankfully after the break the Cavs came out strong, going on a 7-0 run to open the 2^nd half.  The defensive effort stepped up and the offense took the reigns, largely in part because of the play of Jontel Evans and Billy Baron. Evans stat line may not be that impressive with 6 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds and 1 steal, but his play was essential in pushing the attack. Other teams “have to be aware of him when he’s on the court” said Coach Tony Bennett after the game. Coming off what was said to be an effective off season, Evans demonstrated his potential to JPJ on Friday evening. First year guard Billy Baron was a standout, leading the team in scoring with 19 points on 5 of 6 shooting from 3 point range. “Billy gave us the spark” we needed in the 2nd half, said Bennett. He scored 13 of his 19 points in a key 19-3 run where he scored three 3’s consecutively.

The age of the team was apparent with some nerves on the court in the 1st half. As the game progressed, the team settled down and got into their rhythm which is highlighted by the 48 points put up in the 2nd half. It is a young team, but a team with high potential looking to make some positive steps forward and have a productive season.