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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) -- Keith Friel came to Virginia with a
reputation as a shooter, the kind who can make a game swing
quickly.
On Wednesday night, he helped Virginia (No. 19 ESPN/USA Today, No. 16 AP) put one away.
Friel hit four 3-pointers in a span of just more than five
minutes, turning a close game into a runaway as the Cavaliers beat
Ohio 90-71.
"When he's in the game, we really have to find a way to find
him," Cavaliers point guard Donald Hand said of Friel, who scored
16 points. "... He's the type of guy that can run off three or
four in a row."
Friel hit 4 of 5 from behind the arc, the first to start a 9-0
run and the last two to give Virginia a 67-45 lead with 10:30
remaining. His 16-point night was his best since tranferring from
Notre Dame in 1998.
He's also got a dream job for a shooter, drawing tthe ire of
teammates when his shot is falling and he passes up open looks at
the basket.
"After I hit that first one, Donald pitched it to me and I
didn't take a deep one and he got on me," said Friel, who played
only 18 minutes.
Travis Watson also scored 16 points and gave Virginia a huge
lift with two ferocious dunks, the first after the Bobcats (2-1)
drew within 43-38.
"I guess I tried to do it to shut the other team up," Watson
said. "What he did was wake the crowd, and Friel whipped them into a
frenzy.
"He was in a zone," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said. "He's a
game-breaker and when he's got it rolling, He's a great shooter."
The Cavaliers (6-0), off to their best start since the 1992-93
team won its first 11, also again dominated with defense, forcing
21 turnovers by the Bobcats and turning them into 29 points at the
other end.
Virginia, which entered the game forcing its opponents into an
average of 21.6 giveaways, forced six in the first four minutes.
Ohio, which won its only other visit to University Hall in the
preseason NIT in 1994, hung tough into the second half, but then
Watson's inside force opened things up and Friel ended the suspense
in a hurry.
"I'm really impressed by Virginia," Bobcats coach Larry Hunter
said. "They shoot it well enough that you have to go out and guard
them, and then they have that great ability to get the ball in the
paint."
Roger Mason Jr. added 15 points and Hand had 13 for the
Cavaliers, including three 3-pointers in a span of 3½ minutes late
in the first half. Virginia finished 8-for-15 on 3-pointers, Ohio
just 6-for-17.
Anthony Jones led Ohio with 18 points and Steve Esterkamp had
17. The game was the second of five in a row on the road for the
Bobcats, whose work doesn't get any easier with a game at No. 17
Wisconsin on Saturday.
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ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
Ohio Clubhouse
Virginia Clubhouse
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