Virginia 78, N.C. State 60

2/24/2008 6:33 PM

By HANK KURZ Jr.
AP Sports Writer

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) -Sean Singletary scored 21 points and Virginia took full advantage of turnover-prone North Carolina State on Sunday, winning its second consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference game for the first time this season, 78-60.

Virginia (13-12, 3-9) forced 17 turnovers in the first half and outscored the Wolfpack 17-0 after such mistakes in building a 38-18 lead at the intermission.

The Wolfpack (15-12, 4-9), which finished with 25 turnovers, never got closer than 13 after a 10-0 Virginia run early in the second half gave them a 50-23 advantage.

Calvin Baker added 15 points for Virginia, which had not played since it won at Boston College a week ago. The Cavaliers were supposed to play at Georgia Tech on Thursday night, but it was postponed because of a leaky roof at the arena.

Brandon Costner led N.C. State with 14 points and Trevor Ferguson had 11.

The Cavaliers led 13-11 until Mamadi Diane's basket with 11:36 left in the first half sparked a 25-7 run the rest of the way. Singletary had 6 points in the run, once stealing the ball and driving in for a layup, and six other Cavaliers also scored.

The Wolfpack, meanwhile, had 13 of their 17 first-half turnovers in the drought, often unable to make simple passes. Twice they gave it away on four consecutive possessions without getting off a shot, and Virginia shot 55 percent in the half.

In the second half, after N.C. State closed to 40-23 in the opening minutes, Adrian Joseph's 15-footer sparked a 10-0 run for the Cavaliers that all but sealed it.

J.J. Hickson, who came into the game as the Wolfpack's leading scorer with a 15.2 average, didn't get his first points until 6:06 remained and finished with 7.