Virginia whips Florida St.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA - Virginia coach Pete Gillen looked at the stat sheet and saw a lot that he liked: five players scoring in double figures, 11 3-pointers, a second straight victory at home. <br> <br> Most of all, though, he wanted to praise his team&#39;s defensive play, perhaps as a means of reinforcing that good things start with defense. <br> <br> ``We held them to 28 points in the first half,&#39;&#39; Gillen said after the Cavaliers&#39; 85-72 victory against Florida State on Wednesday night. <br> <br> ``I thought that was a big factor in getting a lead.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Six days after limping onto the court on a three-game losing streak and fresh off an 18-point blowout loss at Virginia Tech, the Cavaliers now head back onto the road a seemingly different team. <br> <br> In a 10-point victory against No. 17 Wake Forest and the victory against the Seminoles, Virginia (12-6, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) used a late first-half run to take the lead, then built on it after halftime. <br> <br> This time, it was a 12-3 burst to end the half that gave the Cavaliers a 38-28 edge, followed by a 10-4 start to the second half that served notice to the Seminoles that making a game of it wouldn&#39;t be easy. <br> <br> ``It seemed as though every time we attempted to get back in the game, they hit a big shot,&#39;&#39; Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton said. ``They moved the ball well and got some open looks and their shooters hit the shots.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Florida State fell to 10-8 overall, 1-6 in the ACC. <br> <br> ``Tonight was one of those nights on the road where every time we made a mistake, they made us pay,&#39;&#39; Hamilton said. <br> <br> Ahead 48-32 with 16:55 to play, the Cavaliers never allowed their lead to shrink below nine. They emerged 9-0 at home and feeling confident, and sent the Seminoles to their 12th consecutive road loss in the league. <br> <br> ``We had nice ball movement,&#39;&#39; said Todd Billet, who scored 15 points and hit four of Virginia&#39;s 3-pointers. ``On a couple of possessions, we took it deep into the clock and got good shots. I think guys are becoming more comfortable with each other and it&#39;s starting to come together.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Besides defense, Gillen also was pleased to see the focus after halftime, which Billet said was driven by their attention to defense. <br> <br> ``A lot of times we get a lead and we&#39;re just not mature enough ... to hang onto it,&#39;&#39; he said. ``At least this time, I don&#39;t think they cut it too deep. I think defense was the story tonight.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Travis Watson had 20 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Cavaliers. Derrick Byars added 15, Elton Brown 14 and Jason Clark 12, and Keith Jenifer played 22 minutes and had eight assists and one turnover. <br> <br> Tim Pickett led the Seminoles with 21 points and hit six 3-pointers, but he scored all but three of his points in the second half. Anthony Richardson added 17 points and Todd Galloway had 12 and eight assists. <br> <br> The victory was crucial for the Cavaliers, who have lost five of six road games and travel to Georgia Tech and No. 10 Maryland for their next two games. They return home Feb. 9 to play North Carolina State. <br> <br> ``You have to hold serve at home,&#39;&#39; Gillen said. ``But you have to win on the road to be a big-time team in a big-time league. We have to do that.&#39;&#39;