CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- To say that North Carolina State has struggled during their time spent in Charlottesville over the past decade would be an understatement.
Entering Monday night's contest with Virginia, the Wolfpack hadn't recorded a win against the Cavaliers in the commonwealth since 2007 -- two years before head coach Tony Bennett took over the coaching duties for Virginia.
Enjoying a hot shooting night despite the frigid temperatures outside, No. 7 Virginia used a dominant second-half performance and continued their dominance at home, dismantling North Carolina State 73-53 at John Paul Jones Arena.
"I liked what I saw in the second half from everybody," Bennett said. "That was a real nice second half for us. I thought tonight we played great team ball especially in the second half."
With the win, Virginia improved its home record to 13-0 this season and the Cavaliers have now won 17-straight overall at home.
With former Cavaliers standout and current Dallas Mavericks swingman Justin Anderson sitting courtside, Virginia (21-5, 10-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) put on a shooting clinic in the second half.
The Cavaliers shot 65 percent in the second half and 53.7 percent for the game, including 55.6 percent from beyond the arc, where they made 10 of 18.
"They (Virginia) played fantastic in the second half," North Carolina State head coach Mark Gottfried said. "You have to give them credit and it was a tale of two halves for us. I thought we played great in the first half and in the second half, Virginia was just terrific."
After starting the second half on a 6-0 run, Virginia showed why it is one of the country's best teams on both ends of the floor, outscoring the Wolfpack 42-22 in the half. The Cavaliers led by as many as 24.
Virginia guard Malcolm Brogdon, one of the most prolific defenders in the ACC, scored a game-high 22 points and dished out five assists.
Brogdon was tasked with slowing North Carolina State guard Anthony Barber, the fifth-leading scorer in the nation, and held him to 14 points on 4-for-11 shooting.
"He was complete," Bennett said of his senior. "I love complete players. Offensively he was complete and defensively we did a good job of helping him. He did a good job defensively against Ingram and Allen on Saturday, and a great job tonight against a different kind of player."
Virginia guard London Perrantes connected on five of his eight 3-point attempts and scored 19 points.
North Carolina State (13-13, 3-10) was held to 40.4 percent shooting and made just three of 16 3-point attempts. Guard Cody Martin chipped in with 12 points and six rebounds for the Wolfpack.
"They (Virginia) went 6-for-9 from 3 in the second half and we went 0-for-9," Gottfried said. "That's probably the biggest difference. We had some shots we didn't make and they capitalized on it. They seemed to really get their offense clicking."
Virginia dished out 21 assists on the night, including five apiece from Brogdon and Perrantes. Cavaliers forward Isaiah Wilkins recorded a career-high 13 rebounds.
"He got them all, he didn't really leave many for anybody else," Bennett said of Wilkins' performance on the glass. "He was snatching them and he was alert and anticipating them."
North Carolina State connected on its first six shots of the game and didn't miss until 13:07 remained in the first half.
After hitting their first six shots, the Wolfpack came up empty on their next six possessions, allowing Virginia to get back into the game.
North Carolina State led by as many as six points in the first half, but the teams played to a 31-31 halftime stalemate.
The Wolfpack shot 52.2 percent during the first 20 minutes, while the Cavaliers shot 44.4 percent.
Brogdon scored 12 first-half points, while guard London Perrantes added seven.
North Carolina State forward Lennard Freeman produced eight points on 4-for-4 shooting before the break, and Barber had seven first-half points. Freeman finished the night with nine points.
The Cavaliers will be back in action Feb. 22 when they travel to play Miami (Fla.). North Carolina State plays host to Clemson on Saturday.
NOTES: Virginia won its ninth consecutive regular-season meeting with North Carolina State and beat the Wolfpack for the seventh time in a row at home. ... The Wolfpack have three wins over ranked opponents this season, two of those on the road. ... North Carolina State G Anthony "Cat" Barber entered play with 20 points total in three career games against the Cavaliers. ... Virginia's loss at Duke on Saturday snapped the Cavaliers' seven-game winning streak. ... Through the weekend, Virginia led the Atlantic Coast Conference in field-goal percentage, 3-point percentage and scoring defense.
