NCAA TOURNAMENT RECAP

Coach goes down, but Virginia rolls to 81-45 win

The Sports Xchange

March 17, 2016 at 11:45 pm.

Mar 17, 2016; Raleigh, NC, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Tony Bennett (L) high fives forward Anthony Gill (13) during the second half against the Hampton Pirates at PNC Arena. The Cavaliers won 81-45. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Mar 17, 2016; Raleigh, NC, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Tony Bennett (L) high fives forward Anthony Gill (13) during the second half against the Hampton Pirates at PNC Arena. The Cavaliers won 81-45. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

RALEIGH, N.C. — Even with its coach falling ill temporarily, Virginia was unfazed in its NCAA Tournament opener.

Forward Anthony Gill’s 19 points and seven rebounds led Virginia to an 81-45 romp past Hampton in a first-round game on Thursday afternoon at PNC Arena.

Coach Tony Bennett was standing in front of the team bench in the final minute of the first half when he fell to the court. He was helped back to his seat. With about five seconds to play in the half, he was escorted by two staffers off the court.

“I’ve been a little under the weather the last couple of days,” Bennett said of what he called a case of dehydration and a brief blackout. “It happened kind of quick.”

Bennett, 46, was back on the sideline for the start of the second half.

“I didn’t know what was going on and I was praying,” Gill said of the incident.

Otherwise, it was mostly smooth for the Cavaliers. It’s their largest margin of victory in an NCAA Tournament game.

Virginia (27-7), the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region, advances to meet Butler, a 71-61 winner over Texas Tech, in Saturday’s second round.

Guards London Perrantes and Malcolm Brogdon added 12 and 11 points, respectively, for the Cavaliers. Guard Marial Shayok had 10 points, which were part of the 33 bench points for Virginia.

“We need the guys off the bench to have confidence going forward,” Brogdon said.

Guard Quinton Chievous scored 17 points and guard Reginald Johnson Jr. added 10 points for 16th-seeded Hampton (21-11).

Hampton coach Edward Joyner Jr. said he was disappointed in the margin because he thought the Pirates played better than that.

“I don’t think the score shows exactly how hard (our guys) played,” Joyner said. “Virginia played just like they’re publicized to do.”

The Cavaliers led 40-21 at halftime.

Virginia used a 12-2 run at the start to take control. Hampton was amid a stretch of missing eight of nine shots from the field.

“We came out with focus and we couldn’t hold it through,” Chievous said.

After the Pirates perked up, Brogdon had a three-possession stretch when he connected on two 3-pointers and provided an assist as the Cavaliers built a 28-18 edge.

NOTES: This marked the first NCAA Division I men’s basketball meeting between schools from the state of Virginia. … Virginia won the other seven meetings between the teams, all in the regular season. … Virginia is a No. 1 regional seed for the fifth time, including twice in a three-year span. … In 2014, the Cavaliers also began NCAA Tournament play as the No. 1 seed in Raleigh. … Virginia is in the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year, something that hadn’t happened since 1993-95. … Hampton fell to 1-15 against members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. … Hampton won back-to-back Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament titles.