Virginia’s Experienced Core Fuels Comeback Against Maryland

On November 13, Virginia leaned on a seasoned group to rally past Maryland 87-83 in College Park, its first road game of the season. The Cavaliers, ranked sixth, moved to 5-0 after overcoming an 11-point halftime gap against their former Atlantic Coast Conference rival.

Sam Lewis led Virginia with a career-best 28 points, making 12 of 16 shots. He scored 8 of 9 from the field after halftime and missed just twice inside the arc. Thijs De Ridder added 20 points.

Coach Ryan Odom is giving substantial playing time to four returners from last season’s 30-win team: Lewis, De Ridder, Chance Mallory and Johann Grunloh. Grunloh played 37 minutes, while sophomore point guard Mallory logged 35. Odom said the returning players had earned their roles and could handle the workload, while the team would continue developing its bench.

That marks a shift from last season, when Odom spread minutes across a nine-player group of newcomers. De Ridder and Grunloh, both sophomores, also bring professional experience in Europe. De Ridder, the ACC preseason player of the year, said the Cavaliers stayed composed and communicated through the deficit.

Maryland coach Buzz Williams praised the College Park crowd, but Lewis’s second-half scoring helped quiet it. Virginia has now won four straight games and 10 of its last 11 against Maryland. Odom said he would keep relying on his starters in close games while working to develop the reserves.