CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Armaan Franklin scored 15 of his 22 points in the first half to help Virginia cruise to a 71-58 victory over Miami on Saturday.
Virginia (14-9, 8-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) has won five straight against Miami (16-7, 8-4).
Franklin hit a deep 3-pointer from the top of the arc to close the first half and Virginia led 35-26. The Cavaliers shot 62.5% (15 of 24) from the field and Franklin made three of their five 3-pointers in the half.
A Kihei Clark 3-pointer, Franklin’s pull-up jumper and Kadin Shedrick’s dunk capped a 7-0 surge and the Cavs extended their lead to 57-40 with about 10 minutes left. Clark’s 3-pointer gave the Cavs a 20-point lead with 4:33 remaining.
Franklin was 8 of 16 from the field and matched a career high with four steals. Jayden Gardner added 12 points and Clark scored 11, making three 3-pointers. Reece Beekman had 10 assists, one shy of his career best, to go with nine points.
The Cavs finished with 23 assists, shot 60% (30 of 50) overall and made 8 of 15 from long range.
Kameron McGusty scored 21 points to lead Miami, which shot 54% (27 of 50) from the field. Charlie Moore added 17 points.
The Cavaliers had held the Hurricanes to 54 or fewer points in the previous five matchups. The Hurricanes scored the last eight points of this game with about a minute left to surpass 54.
Twelve of the previous 13 meetings had been decided by 10 points or less.
Virginia, which has won three of its last four games, plays at ninth-ranked Duke on Monday. Miami will look to end a two-game skid when its hosts Georgia Tech on Wednesday.
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