CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Even when his shot isn't falling, Sean Singletary has a huge impact for No. 23 Virginia.
Singletary had 24 points, but shot only 7-for-19 from the field as No. 23 Virginia returned to John Paul Jones Arena after an impressive trip out West with a 72-58 victory against Drexel on Tuesday night.
He also had seven rebounds and five assists.
The Cavaliers (4-0), who handed Arizona its first November home loss since the 1978-79 season with a 75-72 victory Saturday night, led the Dragons by six at the half. They used a 10-2 run in the second half to stretch it to double digits.
"No matter what, on his off games, he plays so hard out there that things are going to go his way," Virginia's other captain, Adrian Joseph, said of Singletary.
Virginia didn't score its 10th point until after almost 11 minutes had been played, and didn't lead until 4:24 before halftime after a layup by Singletary.
"This was probably the first sign of adversity we've had all year," Singletary said. "We just had a big win over Arizona, so naturally you have the tendency to let your guard down a little bit. We played hard, but we didn't really have the noise of the crowd, so we had to feed off our own energy. I think it was a good test for us."
The Dragons (3-1) wanted to make him go to his left, and had some success, but the senior guard either found open teammates or drew fouls. He was 7-for-8 at the line.
"He's a good player, and he started getting to his spots," Drexel coach Bruiser Flint said. "Then again, when he goes that way, he makes the other guys that much better because they shoot open shots and when those guys shoot open shots, they're pretty good."
Mamadi Diane capped the pull-away burst with a 3-pointer and the Cavaliers stretched their advantage to 18. Diane, Joseph and Calvin Baker each added 11 points as Virginia won its 18th straight against Colonial Athletic Association teams.
Virginia is 19-1 on its home floor since it opened at the start of last season.
Frank Elegar led Drexel (3-1) with 23 points and Tramayne Hawthorne had 10.
Diane's 3-pointer, one of eight in the game for the Cavaliers, gave them a 42-32 lead with 13:27 to play. A free throw by Elegar ended the run, but Virginia got four free throws from freshman Mike Scott and a 3-pointer by Joseph sandwiched around a 3-pointer by Gerald Colds for the Dragons. Singletary's layup made it 51-36.
Joseph grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Virginia, which dominated with a 44-27 rebounding edge. The Cavaliers also scored 19 points off Drexel's 17 turnovers.
Drexel led early on as Virginia scored just six points in the first 10:18 before Jamil Tucker's 3-pointer pulled the Cavaliers to 10-9 with 9:42 to play in the half. Singletary's 3-pointer 3:25 before the half put Virginia ahead to stay.
