CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Chance Mallory keyed a 26-0 run that broke open Virginia’s 96-53 exhibition win over Richmond on Friday night at John Paul Jones Arena.

Mallory, the former St. Anne’s-Belfield star who sat out the Cavaliers’ exhibition loss to Vanderbilt last month, was one of five UVA players to score in double figures.

“Chance is really the key,” Richmond coach Chris Mooney said. “He’s a dynamic player. I think he’ll be a multi-time All-American if he’s at Virginia his whole career. He’s just a great, great player. He puts so much pressure on you.”

Mallory, forward Thijs De Ridder and wing Martin Carrere each scored 12 points, while Jan Vide and Elijah Gertrude each added 11. 

The Cavaliers shot 50% from 3-point range, going 14 for 28. Afterward, UVA coach Ryan Odom praised his team’s ball movement in getting open looks from deep.

“I’m really pleased with that,” Odom said. “I want our guys to share the ball and when you’re open, knock it down. We have some good shooters.”

German import Nolan Adekunle hit both of his shots from beyond the arc and finished with nine points in 16 minutes. 

Virginia, as it did in the 82-73 loss to Vanderbilt, again struggled with turnovers, committing 17. Carrere had four and Vide had three. And the Cavaliers still have work to do on the defensive glass. Undersized Richmond grabbed 12 offensive boards.

But against the overmatched Spiders, UVA’s defense was stifling, especially after the first 10 minutes. Richmond led by eight points with 10:17 to go before the Cavaliers scored 26 unanswered points, using transition baskets and offensive rebounding to fuel the run. Virginia outscored the Spiders 53-25 in the second half. 

“Obviously we weren’t ready for a game like that, an opponent like that,” Mooney said. “I thought Virginia played great. Their size, and length and skill level is very high. It will be good for us in the end. I thought we’d play a little better.”

Guard Dominick Stewart led Richmond with 15 points and Aiden Argabright added 13.

Mallory, who came off the bench last season for the Cavaliers, is expected to be the team’s starting point guard this season, with Vide his backup off the bench. Shooting guard Sam Lewis led UVA with five assists Friday. But Lewis, expected to be one of the team’s top point producers, scored four points on a 1 for 5 shooting night. Through two preseason games, Lewis is 1 for 7 from 3-point range.

The Cavaliers play one final exhibition game, Oct. 22 at Villanova, before opening the regular season on Nov. 3 at home against Drexel.