CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The Virginia Cavaliers secured a comfortable 67-41 victory over Holy Cross on Friday evening, with Dai Dai Ames leading the charge by scoring 16 points.

In a dominant defensive performance, Holy Cross found themselves struggling in the final six minutes, failing to score despite five missed field-goal attempts and a free throw. Anthony Robinson’s impressive block on Declan Ryan’s layup attempt capped off a tough stretch for the Crusaders.

Ames displayed efficiency, hitting 6 of 9 shots from the field, while teammates Andrew Rohde and Isaac McKneely each contributed 13 points to the winning effort for Virginia, which improved to 5-2. Together, they accounted for eight of the Cavaliers’ nine successful three-pointers during the game.

For Holy Cross, Max Green notably led his team with 16 points, including four 3-pointers, although the team finished the game shooting 33% overall, having made just 17 of their 51 attempts. Caleb Kenney also chipped in with 10 points.

Virginia set the tone early, racing to a 22-7 lead. By halftime, they had built a comfortable 34-21 advantage, with Ames scoring nine points in the first half and Rohde contributing eight. Max Green was the standout for Holy Cross in the first half, scoring 11 points.

The second half began with Virginia extending their lead even further, starting with a quick 12-5 run that included a dunk from Jacob Cofie, pushing their advantage to 20 points with 15:06 left in the game. Although Holy Cross managed to narrow the gap to 14 points at one stage, they were unable to close the distance any further.

This match marked the inaugural meeting between Virginia and Holy Cross. Looking ahead, Virginia will seek to keep their winning momentum as they prepare to face No. 18 Florida in their next game on Wednesday.