Virginia men's basketball routs Drexel 89-60 in season opener

Virginia men's basketball opened its season with an 89-60 win over Drexel on Tuesday night at John Paul Jones Arena. The Cavaliers are 1-0. The Dragons fall to 0-1.

Virginia led by as many as 36 points and never trailed. The Cavaliers scored 51 in the first half and 38 in the second, while Drexel put up 27 and 33.

De Ridder and Lewis lead the way

Thijs De Ridder led all scorers with 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting and added a game-high-tying 9 rebounds in 27 minutes. He also had 3 offensive rebounds, 2 steals and a block, and went 4-for-4 at the line.

Sam Lewis scored 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-6 from three, and had 3 assists and 3 steals. Johann Grunloh added 11 points and 9 rebounds, 4 of them on the offensive glass.

Elijah Gertrude scored 8 points with 3 steals off the bench, and Jurian Dixon had 7 points on 3-of-4 shooting. Chance Mallory finished with 8 points, 3 assists and 4 steals, though he also had 6 turnovers.

Turnovers fuel the gap

Virginia forced 21 Drexel turnovers and had 18 steals, turning them into 25 points off turnovers. The Cavaliers also scored 29 fast-break points and 44 in the paint. Virginia committed 14 turnovers.

The Cavaliers shot 32-of-67 from the field (48 percent) and 10-of-29 from three (34 percent). They made 15 of 19 free throws. They also won the rebounding battle 42-33, with 13 offensive boards to Drexel's 7.

Drexel shot 23-of-58 (40 percent) and 8-of-25 from three. Latief Lorenzano-White and LaDricus Pittman each scored 11 to lead the Dragons. Pittman made 3 of 5 threes and had 4 assists. Dillon Tingler added 10 points. Josh Reed had a team-high 4 rebounds with 4 assists.

Next up

Virginia returns to John Paul Jones Arena on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. ET against Northeastern.