Billy Baron scored nine of his 14 points during a 25-6 second-half run and Virginia pulled away to beat South Carolina-Upstate 74-54 Monday night.
Baron, who led Virginia with 19 points in its opener, hit a 3-pointer, four free throws and had a steal and layup in the burst for the Cavaliers (2-0). The latter gave them a 60-48 lead with 6:38 remaining, and the Spartans (0-2) never threatened again.
Mike Scott led Virginia with 19 points and 12 rebounds.
Tony Dukes hit all five 3-point shots and led the Spartans with 19 points. S.C.-Upstate finished 10 for 23 from behind the arc, but still shot just 43.2 percent overall (19 of 44).
Consecutive 3-pointers by Dukes and Torrey Craig erased a 6-point lead for Virginia with 14:19 left, but the Cavaliers took command behind Baron and fellow freshman Joe Harris.
Jontel Evans hit a 12-footer, Scott scored and converted a three-point play and then Baron answered a 3-pointer by Dukes with one. He followed with two free throws after an intentional foul, giving Virginia its largest lead to that point at 52-45.
Harris added 8 points in the burst, which ended with the Cavaliers ahead 67-48.
Mustapha Farrakhan added 11 points and Evans a career-high 10 for Virginia.
The Cavaliers, who finally pulled away from William & Mary after halftime to win 76-52 in their opener, led only 31-28 at halftime after the Spartans hit 4 of 9 first-half 3-pointers.
As in the first game, Virginia got a boost when Baron checked in. He immediately fed Scott for two easy baskets down low, sparking a 14-6 Virginia rally.
