CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – In the second game of the season, North Carolina Central dropped an 81-62 contest to Virginia at John Paul Jones Arena on Friday evening.

The Eagles are now 0-2 on the season. Both losses come at the hands of ACC opponents.

Gage Lattimore poured in 16 points in the second half, totaling a game and career-high 25 points. He played all 40 minutes for the second straight game. Khouri Carvey finished with a double-double after a 16-point, 11-rebound performance.

Head coach LeVelle Moton made one change in the starting lineup from the first game as Jonathan Dunn made his first start of the season alongside Lattimore, Carvey, Kyric Davis and Dionte Johnson. Dunn had experience playing against the Cavaliers, scoring 11 points last season with Coppin State.

Virginia started the game using a full-court press to slow down the Eagles. UVA jumped to a 15-2 lead after knocking down four threes before the first media timeout. The Cavaliers dominated the boards to open the game, utilizing second-chance points.  

NCCU settled into the game at the seven-minute mark in the first half, switching to a zone defense, which stifled UVA to end the half. Tekao Carpenter, Johnson, Carvey, Lattimore and Kelechi Okworogwo were the group on the floor to spearhead an 11-0 run, closing the half down 42-25.

UVA cooled off from three in the second half, but Thijs De Ridder got going, finishing with a team-high 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Three other Cavaliers finished in double figures. UVA is now 2-0 this season.  

Against the length and height of Virginia, NC Central held its own, allowing 28 paint points compared to 22 from the Eagles. NCCU was outrebounded 48-34. The significant difference was bench points as UVA led 32-7 in this category.

NC Central now has its eyes on App State, heading to Boone, N.C. on Sunday to face the Mountaineers at 1 p.m.

For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com.