CHARLOTTE, N.C. (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – By the time Jacari White got set to attempt his third 3-pointer of the day Saturday against Dayton, the Virginia fans who traveled to Charlotte had an expectation. 

“Every time he was open and he had it, you could hear the crowd going, ‘Yes,’” UVA coach Ryan Odom said. “He hadn’t made the shot yet. It was that you knew he was going to probably knock it in.”

White didn’t disappoint. 

The North Dakota State transfer scored 22 of his 25 points in the second half as Virginia scorched Dayton after the break on its way to a 86-73 non-conference win Saturday at the Spectrum Center.

White came off the bench and went 9 for 9 from the floor, including 7 for 7 from 3-point range. He’s now hit 12 consecutive 3-pointers of the last three games, breaking Kyle Guy’s school record set in 2018-19.

Like Odom, White took note of the fans reaction to his shots.

“You could feel it,” White said. “People had their hands up before the ball even touched my hands.”

After going just 3 for 8 from 3-point range in the first half, UVA knocked down 9 of 12 in the second, paced by White’s 6 for 6 showing from beyond the after the break.

Virginia had 21 assists on 27 made baskets, as seven other Cavaliers scored at least seven points, led by Chance Mallory’s 12, as the balanced offense helped overcome a 21-turnover performance. The Flyers scored 22 points of those giveaways. 

Virginia’s big second-half showing helped erase a sloppy first half that saw the two teams combine for 12 turnovers in the first 9:40 of play.

Virginia struggled to inbound the ball and bring it up against Dayton’s pressure defense. The Cavaliers committed 10 of their 21 turnovers in the first half. 

“Their pressure obviously is very good,” Odom said. “They do it to most teams and they did it to us tonight.”

But Dayton (7-3) couldn’t take advantage, shooting just 22% before the break. 

Ahead 37-33 at halftime, the Cavaliers (8-1) used a 21-3 run – with 11 of those points coming from White – to go ahead 60-41 with 12:49 to play.

A 14-0 run by the Flyers, again fueled by turnovers, trimmed UVA’s lead to 74-67 with 4:10 to play. 

But a White 3-pointer with 2:47 left ended that spurt and helped Virginia win its third in a row. Next up, the Cavaliers host Maryland Eastern Shore on Tuesday,