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Observations From Blues' 7-3 Loss Vs. Blackhawks

Let's just get it out of the way now: a team that's as inconsistent as the St. Louis Blues, winning three in a row is like climbing Mount Everest. Opportunities may on the odd occasion present itself, and they may do it at some point, but on majority of occasions -- forget about it.

For the fourth time this season, a three-game winning streak presented itself, and the Blues are now 0-for-4, and they've been outplayed badly each time.

The Chicago Blackhawks did it to them again in this situation, and they did it in convincing fashion, running away with a 7-3 win at United Center in Chicago on Wednesday.

Otto Stenberg scored his first NHL goal, Tyler Tucker scored his second goal this season -- both against the Blackhawks -- and Nathan Walker scored in his return after missing 16 games with an upper-body injury; Jordan Binnington allowed five or more goals in a start this season for the seventh time after facing 35 shots.

Thus, the Blues fell to 17-19-8.

Let's go into Wednesday's game observations: 

* Congrats to Otto Stenberg -- On a night where the Blues don't deserve any praise, we will give this kid his due diligence. 

Why? Because he continues to play his tail off, and the 20-year-old finally got rewarded with his first NHL goal, and at the time, it was a big one, when he tied the game 2-2 at 8:22 of the second period when he stole a puck on a pass into the skates of Landon Slaggert and beat Spencer Knight high to the short side:

Stenberg, who came in with five assists in nine games and was a team-leading plus-4 (make it plus-5 after another plus Wednesday), played 13:55 and tied with Jake Neighbours and Nathan Walker for the team lead with five hits.

That trip combined for 15 of the Blues' 25 hits, and seemed to be the only ones checking in this game, but that's a subject in a different spot, but I got to tell you, this kid is even better than I thought he could be and deserves to stay here when some more injured bodies start to filter back in. But the fact he can go back down without needing waivers is something that will play into this. If it's my call, he stays out. He's earned it.

* Special teams were terrible yet again -- It started with the first period when the Blues had three chances on the power play to take control of a game and say what you want about looking at the stat sheet at the end of the night, with six shots on the power play but none of them were ones that made a difference. 

They continuously try to make the extra pass, and when they attempt to shoot the puck, it was always trying to get it to the bumper and that looks like a mess. Teams are sitting on it, baiting the Blues to try it. They have to be pining for the days of Ryan O'Reilly there, and for that matter, Zack Bolduc last year there. But the Blues finished 0-for-5 when there was the chance to make a statement there early.

Meanwhile, Chicago had just one power play in the first period, and guess what, the Blackhawks made good on it on a Nick Lardis one-timer from the right circle, at 9:26 that tied the game 1-1 and instead of grabbing the game by the throat when the Blues had two power plays to this point, including a 5-on-3 albeit for just 12 seconds, the game was on level ground, when it didn't have to be:

When they had decent looks, the net front presence was absent to clean up rebounds.

But the Blackhawks were a robust 3-for-4 on the power play, including a second one that gave them a 2-1 lead that referee Brandon Schrader completely messed up when he called Logan Mailloux for high-sticking Tyler Bertuzzi, when it was easily a friendly-fire stick from Andre Burakovsky that clipped his teammate. It's a horrendous call because Schrader was so close to the play, his face could have been right in there getting clipped itself, so the fact he couldn't get that one right was complete buffoonery, but in the flip side if you're the Blues: kill a penalty. They literally allowed Oliver Moore to stroll down the inner lefthand slot and get off a clean shot:

But the fact is this: the Blues were 0-for-5 with six shots, the Blackhawks were 3-for-4 with 10 shots. It's the same old, same old for a special teams that have been in the bottom third in the league four straight years running now. 

Something's got to give sooner rather than later.

* Second period ugly (again) -- They came in with the worst goal differential in the NHL (minus-39) and finished the game at minus-43, but the second period is a great contributor of that, and getting outscored 4-1 to give them a grand total of minus-23 (59-26) in the middle frame, and the play is usually as bad as the numbers indicate.

If the pizza that Oskar Sundqvist didn't serve up to Connor Murphy -- Connor Murphy, who scores about as often as I do -- clapped one through Binnington (needed a save there) to make it 3-2 at 8:57, or 35 seconds after the euphoria of Stenberg's goal:

It's the age-old question of, 'How does that happen in Game No. 44?' Blatant, glaring mistakes like that? And it just opened the floodgates up, because on the 4-2 goal at 12:27, courtesy of Slaggert, it was a puck worked into the Blues' zone, and around to the point, a clapper from Colton Dach gets tipped in the slot. Brayden Schenn is there but doesn't tie the man up enough:

And then the 5-2 goal, courtesy of Jason Dickinson at 17:24, the Blackhawks win a wall battle (what else is new?) and work it back to the right point, where a shot is thrown to the slot and Dickinson is there to get a tip. Tucker did little to protect the slot and tried to take away Dickinson well after the puck was already gone:

But it's a case of this team, when they start to make positive motion in the right direction in the small details like wall battles, protecting the slot areas, they regress and when they do, they fall fast. When it comes to wall battles and net front protection, this team has not been good in those areas for large swaths of the season, and the results show.

* Three straight wins is like a plague -- They were the last team in the league last season to win three in a row, and more than halfway through the season, it looks like a disease for the Blues once again.

It's the fourth time they've gone for a three-game winning streak, and they've fallen flat on their faces each and every time.

The Blues have now been outscored 24-9 in games where they're going for three wins in a row, and the games are brutally bad.

They lost to the Blackhawks 8-3 on home ice on October 15 after winning two in a row; 4-1 to the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 1; 5-2 to the Boston Bruins on Dec. 9 and on Wednesday.

This group just seems allergic to stringing together wins and they want to leave little doubt.

* Keep losing by three or more goals -- You want to know how having the worst goal differential in the league belongs to them? Well, Wednesday marked the 15th time in 19 regulation losses the Blues have lost by three or more goals, and six of those losses have been by four goals or more.

That's a problem.

I don't think we need to elaborate on this subject any more.

* Where are the Blues' top players? -- Coming off a three-day break, the longest they'll have leading into the Winter Olympics break, two straight wins. One would think the Blues have plenty in the tank to get revved up again.

And that means the top players on this team, and Chicago missing two of its top young players in Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar.

That means Robert Thomas (one shot on goal in 17:08), that means Jordan Kyrou (four shots, one assist in six games since returning from a lower-body injury in 16:14), that means Pavel Buchnevich (four shots, no points in 17:18). Yes, we're singling out the three highest-paid forwards who are paid to produce that once again looked non-existent despite playing.

Meanwhile, the Blackhawks were getting two points each from Murphy, who came in with six assists in 42 games; Moore (one goal, one assist), Louis Crevier (one goal, one assist), Slaggert (one goal, one assist) and Matt Grzelcyk (two assists). That's three defensemen with two points each.

Secondary players are picking up the slack with Bedard and Nazar out of the lineup, and it's why Chicago has won four in a row.

Jimmy Snuggerud had 10 shot attempts for the Blues; Schenn had six; Justin Faulk had six; Philip Broberg had five; Tucker had four.

Broberg (one assist) is the only one of the top four defensemen to get a point for the Blues. We can cut Faulk some slack since he is still somehow leading the Blues with his 11 goals, but the bottom line is the top players were needed if this small amount of momentum was going to keep growing. And yet again, they come up empty.

Call it the story of the season.

Wednesday's goals came from Stenberg, Tucker's second of the season -- both against the Blackhawks this season, and it came 27 seconds into the game:

And from Walker, who scored in his first game since Dec. 1:

And the top players ... crickets.

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Winners, Losers from the Trae Young trade to Washington

This was a win-win trade.

How big those wins are hinges on a lot of yet-to-be-determined factors — Can Atlanta use their newfound financial flexibility to land Anthony Davis or another star this offseason? Can Trae Young stay healthy and fill the role of veteran leader and mentor a young team needs? — but this is a trade that made sense for pretty much everyone involved. There aren't many losers in this deal.

Let's break down the winners and losers in this deal. We'll start by laying out the trade.

Washington receives: Trae Young
Atlanta receives: CJ McCollum, Corey Kispert

Note: There are no picks involved in this trade. While the players involved in this deal were agreed to relatively quickly, league sources told NBC Sports that part of the holdup in finalizing the trade was that both sides believed they should receive draft-pick compensation. Atlanta thought they deserved it because they were giving up the best player in the deal, an All-Star level point guard (when healthy) in his prime. Washington thought they deserved picks back for taking on the extra year (a $48.9 million player option Young is expected to pick up) of a contract that Atlanta wanted to dump. Ultimately, the sides agreed to make the trade without picks.

Winner: Washington Wizards

Washington is a winner here, not simply because they get a four-time All-Star and elite offensive player to organize and lead their young core — it's that they got him for basically nothing. McCollum is on an expiring contract and is not part of Washington's future. While Kispert is a quality, sharpshooting wing rotation player, he's not part of their core.

It's easy to envision how a healthy Young can elevate a young Wizards core: Alex Sarr will benefit from pick-and-rolls with Young (plus Young can throw a post entry pass, something the current Wizards struggle with), Tre Johnson is going to get plays run for him off ball where he can find more space and Young will find him, Kyshawn George has ball handling help, and on down the line. Young has not been healthy this season, a knee issue limiting him to 10 games (and clearly bothering his shot), but the potential is there.

THE CAVEAT: Washington is only a winner if they hold off on extending Trae Young. Part of what Young's agents were looking for in a landing spot was a team willing to talk extension, but Washington needs to see how Young fits with their young stars, then see who they get in this draft, and not extend him until the 2027 offseason. If Young fits perfectly and this all works out, they can re-sign him (not at the max, more like below $40 million a season), but if not, the Wizards need to be ready to stick with their young guys and move on.

Loser: Washington Wizards’ defense

Washington has the 29th-ranked defense in the NBA this season. Trae Young is a minus defender (to put it kindly). Washington is going to be a lot more fun to watch with Young running the show, but they are not going to stop anyone. It's going to get ugly.

Winner: Atlanta Hawks

It was time to move on.

That's why this is a win for Atlanta, it's a needed pivot to a young, long, athletic, fluid core of a team that really is the future. Jalen Johnson should be an All-Star this season, Nickeil Alexander-Walker is having a breakout season and is a high-level two-way two guard, plus they have Dyson Daniels and Onyeka Okongwu and more. On top of all that, they have the Pelicans' first-round pick in this June's draft (a pick that could very well be a top-five pick). Atlanta has set itself up for the future.

This trade also gives the Hawks financial flexibility. They can use that trade for Dallas' Anthony Davis — the Hawks reportedly have been his most aggressive suitor — or they could wait until this offseason and see if they could add a star player more on the timeline of their young core (rather than a 32-year-old with an injury history). Whatever they choose, with CJ McCollum and Kristaps Porzingis coming off the books, Atlanta will have at least $32 million in cap space to reshape their roster next offseason. All that money makes it easier to turn the page.

Winner: Wizards fans

Washington has been a tough watch for a couple of years. While they have good young players like Sarr and Johnson, this team has lacked a player more casual fans could rally behind. They needed someone to sell tickets.

Trae Young sells tickets. Tray Young excites fans. Young running the Wizards offense with all that athleticism around him is going to be highly entertaining — and Wizards fans will take that.

Washington has given its fan base someone to root for. That matters.

Maybe winner: New York Knicks

Washington owes its 2026 first-round pick to the New York Knicks, but it is top eight protected. Before Wednesday night, that seemed irrelevant. The young Wizards were learning on the job and were destined for a high lottery seed (they sit fourth in the lottery at the time of the trade).

With an energized Trae Young running the show, could the Wizards get on a heater and start to climb up the East standings, maybe make the play-in, and end up turning over their pick to the Knicks?

Probably not. Young has been battling knee issues all season, and Washington will use that if needed. Even if Young does start playing games for them soon, don't be shocked if the Wizards shut him down with an injury with plenty of time left in the season — Washington needs more elite talent on the roster and this draft is the best way for them to get it. Save the test run with Young for next season.

Still, Knicks fans can dream.

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Kings lose late lead and are defeated by Sharks

San Jose Sharks left wing William Eklund, left, scores on Los Angeles Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper during overtime of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Sharks left wing William Eklund scores on Darcy Kuemper in overtime Wednesday. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

William Eklund scored 3:08 into overtime, Macklin Celebrini had the tying goal and two assists to extend his point streak to 12 games, and the San Jose Sharks defeated the Kings 4-3 on Wednesday night.

Celebrini evened the score at 3 with 1:07 remaining in regulation. He deked his way past Warren Foegele and sent a wrist shot through traffic that beat goalie Darcy Kuemper through the legs for his 24th goal this season. The 19-year-old center has nine goals and 15 assists during his point streak.

Celebrini is tied for the third-longest point streak by a teenager in NHL history — joining Joe Sakic in 1988-89, Jimmy Carson in 1987-88 and Wayne Gretzky in 1979-80 — and the third-longest point streak in Sharks history.

Tyler Toffoli and Adam Gaudette each had a goal, Yaroslav Askarov made 23 saves and the Sharks won for the fifth time in six games.

Alex Turcotte and Kevin Fiala each had a goal and an assist for the Kings, who still haven’t won three straight games since winning four in a row in mid-November. Alex Laferriere also scored and Kuemper made 24 saves.

Laferriere put the Kings ahead with 2:10 left in the third period, but they couldn't prevent another sensational play by the electric Celebrini.

The Kings were without four forwards, including stalwart center and team captain Anze Kopitar, who is day-to-day after sustaining a lower-body injury in a win over Minnesota on Monday. Those absences led the Kings to play with 11 forwards and seven defensemen.

Sharks center Ty Dellandrea is week-to-week after sustaining a lower-body injury against Columbus on Tuesday.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Ames native Tamin Lipsey a big part of first 15-0 start for No. 3 Iowa State

Iowa State point guard Tamin Lipsey, the senior who grew up near campus in Ames, is now part of something that had never been done by the Cyclones. “Watching all those teams growing up and just realizing that I have a chance right now to make a footprint for Iowa State, and just the community of Ames and all of that, I never take for granted.” Lipsey scored 24 points, overcoming some early foul trouble that kept him on the bench for nearly eight minutes in the first half.

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Blackhawks Win 4th Straight Game, Defeat Blues 7-3

CHICAGO - The Chicago Blackhawks came into Wednesday night's matchup winners of three straight games. They were looking to make it four with the St. Louis Blues in town. 

With Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar out of the lineup, the Hawks needed the rest of their forwards to continue stepping up in their place. They have been doing just that since the holiday break ended, which has gotten them right back in the Western Conference race. 

Things started poorly for Chicago, as they allowed a goal to Tyler Tucker of the Blues less than one minute into the game. It's not easy to play well from behind that early, but they found a way. 

While on the man-advantage with the second unit out there, Nick Lardis blasted a beautiful pass from Oliver Moore past Jordan Binnington to tie the game at 1. That would be the end of the scoring for either team in the first period. 

In the second, things took a dramatic turn in favor of Chicago. Oliver Moore and Otto Stenberg exchanged goals less than one minute apart for the 2-2 tie, but the Blackhawks took over from there. 

Before the middle frame was over, the Blackhawks were winning 5-2 thanks to three consecutive goals by Connor Murphy, Landon Slaggert, and Jason Dickinson. 

The Blackhawks kept their momentum going in the third period. Andre Burakovsky made it 6-2 with a snipe while the Blackhawks were working with a 5-on-3 advantage. That made them 3 for 3 on the power play for the evening. 

The Blackhawks were not done there. Louis Crevier scored by cleaning up a rebound to make it 7-2. Less than one minute later, however, the Blues got one back in the form of Nathan Walker. 

That 7-3 score stood as the final. It was once again a strange game between these two franchises. Every game this year has been so far, one way or another. 

Spencer Knight played extremely well for the Blackhawks in goal. He allowed three goals by the end of the game, but he made some point-blank saves on high-danger Blues chances while the game was still up for grabs.  

Watch Every Chicago Goal

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Blackhawks are back in action on Friday night at the United Center. Alex Ovechkin comes to the United Center for the first time as the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer, as the Washington Capitals will face the Blackhawks. This is the next opportunity for folks to check out the return of Chicago's black alternate sweater as the team is on a quest for a five-game winning streak. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

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No. 1 Arizona remains unbeaten with 101-76 win over Kansas State

Arizona (15-0, 2-0 Big 12) is off to its best start since winning the first 21 games of the 2013-14 season. Arizona won by at least 18 points for the 10th consecutive game, matching a mark Michigan had earlier this season that tied for the longest such run since 2003-04. Burries had his fifth 20-point game and matched his career high by going 12 for 16 from the field while adding nine rebounds.

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Glenn Hall, whose NHL goalie starts streak may never be broken, dies at age 94

Glenn Hall, a Hockey Hall of Famer whose ironman streak of 502 starts as a goaltender remains an NHL record, has died. He was 94.

Nicknamed “Mr. Goalie,” Hall worked to stop pucks at a time when players at his position were bare-faced, before masks of any kind became commonplace. He did it as well as just about anyone of his generation, which stretched from the days of the Original Six into the expansion era.

A spokesperson for the Chicago Blackhawks confirmed the team received word of Hall’s death from his family. A league historian in touch with Hall’s son, Pat, said Hall died at a hospital in Stony Plain, Alberta, on Wednesday.

Hall backstopped Chicago to the Stanley Cup in 1961 and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the playoffs in 1968 with St. Louis when the Blues reached the final before losing to Montreal. He was the second of just six Conn Smythe winners from a team that did not hoist the Cup.

His run of more than 500 games in net is one of the most untouchable records in sports, given how the position has changed in the decades since. Second in history is Alec Connell with 257 from 1924-30.

“Glenn was sturdy, dependable and a spectacular talent in net,” Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “That record, set from 1955-56 to 1962-63, still stands, probably always will, and is almost unfathomable — especially when you consider he did it all without a mask.”

Counting the postseason, Hall started 552 games in a row.

Hall won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 1956 when playing for the Detroit Red Wings. After two seasons, he was sent to the Black Hawks along with legendary forward Ted Lindsay.

Hall earned two of his three Vezina Trophy honors as the league’s top goalie with Chicago, in 1963 and ’67. The Blues took him in the expansion draft when the NHL doubled from six teams to 12, and he helped them reach the final in each of their first three years of existence, while winning the Vezina again at age 37.

Hall was in net when Boston’s Bobby Orr scored in overtime to win the Cup for the Bruins in 1970, a goal that’s among the most famous in hockey history because of the flying through the air celebration that followed. He played one more season with St. Louis before retiring in 1971.

“His influence extended far beyond the crease,” Blues chairman Tom Stillman said. “From the very beginning, he brought credibility, excellence, and heart to a new team and a new NHL market.”

A native of Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Hall was a seven-time first-team NHL All-Star who had 407 wins and 84 shutouts in 906 regular-season games. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1975, and his No. 1 was retired by Chicago in 1988.

Hall was chosen as one of the top 100 players in the league’s first 100 years.

Blackhawks chairman and CEO Danny Wirtz called Hall an innovator and “one of the greatest and most influential goaltenders in the history of our sport and a cornerstone of our franchise.”

“We are grateful for his extraordinary contributions to hockey and to our club, and we will honor his memory today and always,” Wirtz said.

The Blackhawks paid tribute to Hall and former coach and general manager Bob Pulford with a moment of silence before Wednesday night’s game against St. Louis. Pulford died Monday.

A Hall highlight video was shown on the center-ice videoboard. The lights were turned off for the moment of silence, except for a spotlight on the No. 1 banner for Hall that hangs in the rafters at the United Center.

Fellow Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur, the league’s all-time leader in wins with 691 and games played with 1,266, posted a photo of the last time he saw Hall along with a remembrance of him.

“Glenn Hall was a legend, and I was a big fan of his,” Brodeur said on social media. “He set the standard for every goaltender who followed. His toughness and consistency defined what it meant to play.”

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No. 11 Vanderbilt remains undefeated with 96-90 win over No. 13 Alabama

Tyler Tanner scored 23 of his career-high 29 points in the second half and No. 11 Vanderbilt remained undefeated by beating 13th-ranked Alabama 96-90 on Wednesday night. The Commodores (15-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) extended their best start since winning 16 straight games to open the 2007-08 season. This is only the second time in the program's 124-year history that Vanderbilt has won its first 15.

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Karl-Anthony Towns' big fourth quarter keys Knicks' win over Clippers: 'The way he played tonight, it’s what we needed'

Just 48 hours ago, the Knicks were demolished by the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons, extending their season-long losing streak to four games.

While most of the Knicks players simply didn't show up to play in Detroit, a spotlight was focused on Karl-Anthony Towns.

The Knicks' big man scored just six points on 1 of 4 shooting with one rebound and one assist. He turned the ball over six times and was a minus-27 on the floor in Monday's loss. It was a dreadful showing and he looked lost. So much so that he told the NY Post afterward that the reason for his poor performance was adjusting to head coach Mike Brown's new system.

Well, what a difference two days make.

The Knicks snapped their losing streak with an impressive 123-111 win over the red-hot Clippers on Wednesday night, and Towns was a huge part of the victory.

With the game still close in the fourth quarter, Towns took over offensively, scoring 10 of his 20 points in the final frame. He also came down with four rebounds to help the Knicks separate themselves from Los Angeles. 

"We needed it," Jalen Brunson said of Towns' performance after the game. "Helped us increase our lead and it was big-time play from him. We all have to have each other’s backs. The way he played tonight, it’s what we needed."

Towns' comments after Detroit about his performance garnered questions about what was different for him and why he found success against the Clippers.

The big man said that he's just trying to impact the game in a winning way, and that's what his goal is.

"I said it last year, I say it this year, any time I touch the ball, I’m trying to be aggressive, whether that’s making a play for myself or my teammates," Towns said. "I want to impact winning every single day."

For Towns in the fourth quarter, he pointed to his increased aggressiveness as the catalyst for his performance.

"I made some shots, didn’t make a lot of them, but I think tonight shows aggression wins," Towns explained. "Not letting go because some shots aren’t going in, stay very aggressive in any opportunity that I got. At the end of the day, it worked out for our team. Those plays, miss or make, I'm glad they impacted winning and put us in a better spot."

"He’s an explosive scorer. Starting with me, I got to continue to find ways to help him, like I have to help the rest of the team," Brown said of Towns. "What I like about tonight is, he’s an All-Star, great level player and those types of players impact the game. 

"He can score with the best, so we know eventually he’s going to get going in that area, but what I like about it, he was impactful defensively -- 11 rebounds, seven assists, the nine points definitely helped and he helped us create that separation by doing that. But I don’t want to belittle the fact that he did what All-Stars do, what great players do. He found other ways throughout the course of the ballgame to continue to help our team win. That’s fantastic to see because he’s more than capable with as good as he is."

Entering Wednesday, Towns is averaging 21.5 points, on 47 percent shooting and 11.5 rebounds. All three categories are down from last season when he was voted All-NBA Third Team and to his fifth All-Star Game. However, the second-year Knick is more worried about winning and getting New York to the NBA Finals for the first time in almost three decades. 

And while there's still a lot of season left, Towns and the Knicks hope Wednesday's win leads to more as they head West for a four-game road trip.

"We weren’t at our best today, but we did enough to win," he said. "At points in the game, we did a good job of getting a run and we didn’t let them stop the bleeding. We got to better than we were tonight. I have to be better. This is a good start before heading on the road trip to stop the bleeding of four losses in a row...now we have to build off of it. 

"Teams understand now that we are coming in with a little momentum, and they are going to try and stop that. We have to do a better job of out-executing them and out-hustling them. It's up to us."

The Knicks head to Phoenix to start their West Coast trip against the Suns on Friday.

 

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Malik Thomas scores 20 and No. 23 Virginia moves to 9-0 at home with 84-60 win over Cal

Malik Thomas scored 20 points and No. 23 Virginia beat California 84-60 in its Atlantic Coast Conference home opener Wednesday night, scoring at least 80 points for the 14th time in 15 games this season. Johann Grunloh, Thijs De Ridder, Sam Lewis and Ugonna Onyenso each added 12 for the Cavaliers (13-2, 2-1), who assisted on 23 of 30 baskets and dominated the glass with 45-26 edge in rebounding. Virginia has won two straight since a triple-overtime loss at rival Virginia Tech on New Year's Eve.