CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- After compiling a perfect 15-0 record at home last season, No. 8 Virginia continued their impressive streak and recorded their 21st straight win at John Paul Jones Arena with a 72-32 win over St Francis Brooklyn on Tuesday night.

The Cavaliers held an overmatched and undersized Terrier squad to two scoreless droughts of at least six minutes, including a span of almost 13 minutes in the opening half. St. Francis Brooklyn (0-2) shot just 22.9 percent on the night.

"I think the competition is a little different than when you're going against ACC teams," Virginia head coach Tony Bennett said. "But I do like how we are scrambling and trying to contest shots. Where this team stands, we are going to have to be so good defensively, and that's out ticket."

Offensively, Virginia (2-0) used a balance scoring attack that saw just one player score in double figures, but five who scored at least eight points. Memphis transfer Austin Nichols, who missed the Cavaliers' first game, scored a game-high 11 points off the bench. Guard Marial Shayok scored all eight of his points in the first half and London Perrantes added eight in just 25 minutes.

"I thought our perimeter defense played a huge factor tonight," Shayok said. "I thought we wanted to keep a consistent effort on the defensive end tonight and we did and it showed."

St. Francis Brooklyn began the game by hitting just one of their first 16 3-point attempts as the Terriers boasted just one player over 6-foot-8, making it tough against a deep Virginia frontcourt.

"That's the reality of this level of Division 1 basketball," St. Francis Brooklyn head coach Glenn Braica said. "These games can go one of two ways. We've had some success in these games in recent years but sometimes they go the other way."

The Cavaliers trailed just once -- at 2-0 -- as they clamped down on a St. Francis Brooklyn team which threw up 26 3-pointers, making just five. Virginia outrebounded the Terriers 43-20 and got 46 points in the paint.

Redshirt freshman Mamadi Diakite made his college debut for the Cavaliers and provided a spark for Bennett off of the bench. Diakite scored eight points on the night while adding four rebounds and an emphatic block, bringing the Virginia fans to their feet late in the game.

"All of those players inside bring something different for us," Bennett said. "We have five guys for basically two spots, which is challenging. It's all about how the officials are calling the game. I want them to be able to play real hard continuously, there's no excuse for a group with that depth to not play hard."

Virginia used a 20-2 run over the final 9:56 of the first half to take a 35-13 lead into the halftime break.

St. Francis Brooklyn was held without a field goal for 12:48 to close out the half. The Terriers shot 17 percent from the field and made just one of their 16 3-point attempts.

The Cavaliers shot 54 percent over the first 20 minutes and were led by forward Jarred Reuter who put in nine first-half points. Shayok added eight for the Cavaliers, who failed to make a 3-pointer but outrebounded the Terriers 25-10 in the half.

Virginia will host Yale on Sunday night.

NOTES: Virginia currently holds the nation's seventh-longest home winning streak. ... St. Francis Brooklyn is playing its second straight game against an ACC opponent. ... The Cavaliers have been ranked in the top 10 in 39 of the last 43 AP polls. ... The Terriers currently have five players on their roster who have yet to suit up for a Division 1 game.