De Ridder scores career-high 26, Virginia hits 30 FTs in 83-79 win over Northwestern

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. (AP) — Thijs De Ridder, a 6-foot-9 freshman, scored a season-high 26 points and Chance Mallory had 16 points, eight rebounds and two steals to help Virginia beat Northwestern 83-78 on Friday at the Greenbrier Tip-Off.

De Ridder fouled out with 5:46 to play and Mallory picked up his fifth personal a little more than four minutes later. Mallory, a 5-10 guard, has at least two steals in each game and has 13 steals this season.

Malik Thomas scored 14 points and Dallin Hall added 11 for Virginia (5-0). Under first-year coach Ryan Odom, the Cavaliers have scored at least 80 points in each of their first five games of the season for the first time in program history.

Johann Gruenloh, a 7-foot freshman, blocked a potential tying 3-pointer by Arringten Page with 41 seconds left. Hall hit two free throws to make it 78-73 eight seconds later and the Cavaliers held on from there. Gruenloh, who went into the game averaging 4.25 blocks per game (No. 1 nationally), finished with seven rebounds, five points, three assists and two blocks.

Jayden Reid made 11 of 14 from the free-throw line and scored 16 of his 25 points in the second half for Northwestern (4-1). Page fouled out with 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting,

Hall hit a 3-pointer that capped a 8-0 run and gave Virginia a two-point lead with 9:35 to play and a 10-2 run that culminated when Hall made another 3 gave the Cavaliers a 74-70 advantage with 2:31 remaining.

Virginia shot just 38% (24 of 64) from the field and went 5 of 24 (21%) from 3-point range but shot 83% from the free-throw line, where the Cavaliers outscored Northwestern 30-17. The Wildcats made 27 of 58 (48%) overall, 7 of 16 (44%) from behind the arc, and 17 of 24 (71%) from the foul line.

The Cavaliers made their most free throws since they hit 31 of 36 in a 77-74 loss to Tennessee in the second round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament.

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