CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Though the teams meet just once a year since Syracuse entered the Atlantic Coast Conference three years ago, Virginia looks maybe as comfortable against the Orange than any other conference team during that span.
The Cavaliers capped off a historic season in 2014 with a regular-season-finale victory over then fourth-ranked Syracuse to capture the conference crown, and they followed that up with a 12-point win at the Carrier Dome last season.
On Sunday night, No. 13 Virginia shot 56.8 percent from the floor and caught fire late in the game to take down Syracuse 73-65 at John Paul Jones Arena in front of 13,305 fans.
The game was played a day after it was originally scheduled because Winter Storm Jonas caused a postponement.
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The 56.8 percent shooting was the highest by a Syracuse opponent all season.
The Cavaliers put three players in double figures, led by senior guard Malcolm Brogdon with 21 points. Forward Anthony Gill and guard London Perrantes chipped in with 16 apiece, while Perrantes added seven assists.
"We really made some nice plays down the stretch," Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. "We had to, to answer the plays they were making. We had to answer with some of our own plays made."
Virginia (15-4, 4-3 ACC) led by as many as 10 in the second half, but the Orange (13-8, 3-5) would never go away as they tied the game at 47 midway through the second half.
Up by one with 5:58 to play, Brogdon connected on back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Cavaliers a much-needed seven-point advantage and bring the home crowd to life.
Syracuse pulled within three late in the game before the Cavaliers closed it out at the line.
The Orange connected on 13 of their 30 3-point attempts.
"Their guards are big," Bennett said of Syracuse's success from beyond the arc. "Good size, there were a couple of times where we could have chased them off of the 3-point line, but the majority of them were deep and they made plays."
Virginia finished the game 15-for-21 from the foul line, while Syracuse made 10 of 15 free throws.
Syracuse received a game-high 24 points from senior forward Michael Gbinije and 23 points from freshman forward Malachi Richardson. No other Orange player scored more than eight points.
"I thought Mike (Gbinije) got it going in the second half," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. "And Malachi made some plays and we had a couple of opportunities there. Brogdon stepped up and made two threes, and that's what seniors do. I think that was the difference in the game."
The Orange shot just 38.9 percent from the field and were outrebounded 31-28.
"We struggled offensively inside. They're a really good defensive team," Boeheim said. "We played much better defensively in the second half."
The Cavaliers opened the second half with four straight turnovers, but the Orange were able to turn those turnovers into only three points.
Virginia will travel to take on Wake Forest on Tuesday night, a game that was originally scheduled for Monday, while Syracuse will host Notre Dame on Thursday.
Virginia got out of the gates hot in the first half but could never shake Syracuse.
The Cavaliers shot 56 percent in the first half from the floor as well as 56 percent from the 3-point arc and led 37-29 after 20 minutes of play. Virginia assisted on 12 of its 15 made field goals in the half.
Gill led the way for the Cavaliers with 12 first-half points, while Perrantes chipped in with nine points, all of them coming from beyond the arc.
Syracuse shot 45 percent in the first half and was led by Richardson, who poured in 11 points. The Orange were handicapped by six first-half turnovers that led to seven points for Virginia.
NOTES: Virginia is now 3-0 against Syracuse in ACC play and 4-3 all-time. ... The Cavaliers are 30-1 in conference play at home over the past four seasons... Syracuse had its three-game winning streak halted. ... The Orange flew in to Charlottesville on Sunday morning after being unable to arrive any sooner due to the snow. ... Syracuse ranks second in the ACC in field-goal-percentage defense. ... Virginia PG London Perrantes ranks second in Division I in 3-point percentage (.556).
