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Recap: Virginia 63, Lamar 44
Virginia 63, Lamar 44: Joe Harris scored 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting as the host Cavaliers blew out the Cardinals in a consolation round of the NIT Season Tip-Off.
Paul Jesperson chipped in with nine points for Virginia (3-2) _ all coming on a crucial 14-2 first-half run _ and Akil Mitchell added 10 points and eight rebounds.
Stan Brown led Lamar (0-4) with 11 points. As a team, the Cardinals shot just 32.6 percent from the field.
Virginia ran out to a 24-6 lead behind three Jesperson 3-pointers and two more from Harris to help build a 32-18 halftime lead.
A 14-2 run, keyed by six Mitchell points, pushed the Cavaliers cushion to 41-24 with 11:39 left. The Cardinals got as close as 55-39 when Nikko Acosta knocked down a pair of free throws 7:03 later, but Virginia responded with a 6-0 run to seal the victory.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Lamar outrebounded Virginia 25-24, marking the first time the Cavaliers have been beaten on the boards this season. … Virginia is now 20-2 in games they’ve scored at least 60 points dating back to the start of last season. The two teams combined to convert 22 of 23 free throws.
