No. 5 Virginia slams Harvard 76-27

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Mike Tobey scored 15 points in the first half and No. 5 Virginia held Harvard to one field goal before the break as the Cavaliers rolled, 76-27 Sunday.

Malcolm Brogdon also scored 15 for Virginia (11-0), which equaled its best start since the 1992-93 season with its stingiest defensive performance in a season already full of them.

Harvard (7-2), coming off a 12-day break for exams, looked rusty from the start and unprepared to have such difficulty getting inside or in finding open shots from the perimeter. Its only basket in the first half came on a drive by Zena Edosomwan with 16:31 left, and Harvard missed its final 15 attempts.

Corbin Miller led the Crimson with eight points. Scoring leader Wesley Saunders missed all seven shots from the field and scored four points. The Crimson finished 8 for 50 (16 percent).

The Crimson became the second consecutive team held to four points in the first 12 minutes — Virginia did it to Cleveland State on Thursday night — and things got worse for Harvard before they got better.

The Crimson's string of missed shots stretched to 19 before Steve Moundou-Missi scored on a drive with 16:38 remaining. That made the score 45-12, and the Crimson eventually trailed by as many as 49 points.

It was out of hand quickly, and the recovery expected from the Crimson never came.

Tobey scored the first seven points of the game before Zena Edosomwan scored on a drive for the Crimson with 16:31 left in the half. The basket made Harvard 1 for 5 from the field, and while the visitors joined Cleveland State as consecutive teams held to four points in the first 12 minutes, things got worse.

Harvard missed its last 15 shots in the half, finishing 1 for 20 from the field, and trailed 39-8.

Tobey, meanwhile, continued to shine, making all six of his shots in the half and scoring 15 points to go with five rebounds and a block. Virginia, meantime, combined to shoot 61.5 percent (16 of 26) in the half. The Cavs also outrebounded the Crimson 21-9, and outscored them 18-2 in the paint and had four steals.

TIP INS:

Harvard: Harvard arrived averaging 69.2 points through eight games.

Virginia: The Cavaliers dominated while getting nothing from Anthony Gill, who was in foul trouble and scored three points.

UP NEXT:

Harvard plays at Arizona State next Sunday.

Virginia hosts Davidson on Dec. 30.