Mustapha Farrakhan scored 23 points and K.T. Harrell added 17 on Saturday as Virginia beat Georgia Tech 72-64 to end its three-game losing streak.
The Cavaliers (11-8, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) made 10 3-pointers and took command with an 18-3 burst late in the first half. It gave them a 43-29 lead at the intermission, and they slowed things down in the second half while Georgia Tech struggled to catch up.
The Yellow Jackets (9-9, 2-3), coming off blowout wins over North Carolina and Wake Forest, fell to 0-6 on the road and looked like the team that lost 80-63 at Kennesaw State.
Iman Shumpert led Georgia Tech with 19 points and Brian Oliver had 13. Glen Rice Jr., their second-leading scorer, missed 9 of 11 shots and scored five points - eight below his average.
The Cavaliers hit 7 of 8 3-point shots in the first half, and led 25-24 when they took charge with the 18-3 burst. Farrakhan had eight points in the run and Harrell pitched in with seven, while Virginia's defense also contributed.
At one point, the Cavaliers forced turnovers on four consecutive possessions for the Yellow Jackets without them ever getting off a shot.
Farrakhan and Harrell each had 13 points at the break, and Virginia shot 67 percent (14 of 21). Shumpert led Georgia Tech with eight, and the Yellow Jackets shot 50 percent (12 of 24).
A 3-pointer by Sammy Zeglinski with 14:58 to go stretched Virginia's lead to 18 - its largest to that point at 51-33 - and the Yellow Jackets never got closer than 13 until the final minute, when Virginia turned the ball over twice while trying to run the clock out.
Virginia has won four of its last five meetings with the Yellow Jackets.
Virginia finished 10 for 15 (67 percent) from 3-point range, while the Yellow Jackets were just 4 for 10. The Cavaliers outscored Georgia Tech 22-10 from the free throw line.
It was the fourth time this season the Cavaliers have shot 50 percent or better from 3-point territory, winning all four of those games.
