Gill's 25 leads No. 3 Virginia past Davidson, 83-72

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Justin Anderson hit back-to-back 3-pointers to fuel a 12-3 run in the second half and No. 3 Virginia pulled away to beat stubborn Davison 83-72 on Tuesday night.

Anthony Gill led the Cavaliers (12-0) with a career-high 25 points and 13 rebounds. Malcolm Brogdon added 16, Anderson 14 and Darion Atkins 13 points and 10 rebounds as Virginia won its 18th in a row at home. The Cavaliers also reached 12-0 for the first time since Ralph Sampson was a junior in 1981-82.

Jack Gibbs scored 21 to lead Davidson (9-2), which had a seven-game winning streak snapped. The Wildcats also got 20 from Tyler Kalinoski and 14 from Brian Sullivan. Their point total was the highest against Virginia's top-ranked defense this year, but well of their top-ranked 87.7 scoring average.

The game was the final out of conference game for both programs.

Virginia, which outscored the Wildcats 40-26 in the paint and outrebounded them 42-25, used a 14-4 run spanning the halves to take their first lead since the early going.

The Wildcats rallied to tie it three times, that last at 55, but then Anderson got free for a 3-pointer from the left corner, and followed a Davidson miss with another from the right side.

After a layup by Atkins gave the Cavaliers a 63-55 lead, Sullivan hit a 3-pointer for the Wildcats, briefly slowing the surge, but Gill scored inside and Atkins tipped in a miss, making it 67-58.

The Wildcats presented a sharp contrast to Virginia on offense, often shooting early in the shot clock, and shooting well. They made nine of their first 13 shots to lead 21-14 and gradually extended their lead to as many as 12. Virginia closed the half with a 10-2 burst to get within 36-32, getting eight points from the foul line, the crowd emerging from a pensive quiet to a growing roar as the lead shrunk.

TIP-INS:

Davidson: The Wildcats had lost 18 of their last 19 against ranked foes and were 14-89 all-time in those games.

Virginia: Virginia's ranking is its highest in-season since the final poll of the 1982-83 season, when they were No. 2.

UP NEXT:

Davidson hosts Richmond in its Atlantic 10 debut on Jan. 3.

Virginia opens its Atlantic Coast Conference schedule at Miami on Jan. 3.