RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Sam Lewis matched his career high with 23 points, Thijs De Ridder took over after halftime and No. 21 Virginia beat N.C. State 76-61 on Saturday.
Lewis had 20 points on 7-for-8 shooting by halftime for the Cavaliers (12-2, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who never trailed three days after losing in triple overtime at Virginia Tech. Lewis helped Virginia go up 20 by halftime, then De Ridder took charge after the Wolfpack tried to rally.
The 6-9 De Ridder, a top international prospect from Belgium, had 12 of his 14 points after the break.
That included one terrific stretch that began when he flew in to snag an airballed 3-pointer by Malik Thomas and scored to beat the shot clock. He followed with a 3-pointer, then got a defensive stop and pushed the ball in transition to help set up Lewis' corner 3 for a 66-44 lead with 8:53 left.
That was part of an eventful game that included first-year Virginia coach Ryan Odom picking up a second-half technical foul for a furious reaction to a late whistle. Odom flailed an arm in disgust and shouted at officials before assistant Bryce Crawford put him in a bear hug and walked him backward toward the bench.
Quadir Copeland scored 15 points for the Wolfpack (10-5, 1-1), who came out flat and fell in a big hole. N.C. State upped the intensity after the break to climb back in it, getting as close as 46-38 on Paul McNeil Jr.'s 3-pointer at the 14:39 mark.
But N.C. State managed just one basket over the next six minutes as De Ridder and the Cavs made their move, finishing the game at 36%.
Virginia shot 50% and made 13 3-pointers.
Virginia: The Cavaliers host California on Wednesday.
N.C. State: The Wolfpack's first ACC road game comes Tuesday at Boston College.
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North Carolina State's Ven-Allen Lubin (22) tries to block the shot of Virginia's Malik Thomas (1) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
Virginia's Malik Thomas (1) grabs a rebound against North Carolina State during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
Virginia's Sam Lewis (5) moves the ball around North Carolina State's Alyn Breed (7) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
Fire safety inspections hadn't been carried out since 2019 at the Swiss bar where a fire at a New Year's party left 40 people dead and over 100 injured, local authorities said Tuesday.
Investigators have said they believe sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles ignited the fire at Le Constellation in the resort town of Crans-Montana when they came too close to the ceiling. Authorities are looking into whether soundproofing material on the ceiling conformed with regulations and whether the candles were permitted for use in the bar.
Swiss authorities have opened a criminal investigation into the bar managers. The two are suspected of involuntary homicide, involuntary bodily harm and involuntarily causing a fire, according to the Valais region’s chief prosecutor.
The regulations in Valais call for annual fire safety inspections of buildings that are “accessible to the public," and regional authorities say they are the responsibility of the municipality. On Tuesday, the Crans-Montana municipality said that inspections of Le Constellation that included fire safety checks had been carried out in 2016, 2018 and 2019, and that modifications had been requested — but no issues with soundproofing measures had been raised.
The local council discovered after consulting documents after the fire that “periodic checks were not carried out between 2020 and 2025,” the head of Crans-Montana’s municipal government, Nicolas Féraud, told a news conference.
“We regret this bitterly,” he said, adding that it will be up to judicial authorities to determine what influence that may have had on the events that led to the fire.
Féraud said he couldn't immediately explain why safety inspections hadn't been conducted for such a long time.
Féraud said that, in September last year, an external expert had been asked to carry out a soundproofing analysis and had concluded that the bar complied with anti-noise rules, without making further remarks.
The severity of burns made it difficult to identify some victims of the fire that broke out at about 1:30 a.m. on New Year’s Day, requiring families to supply authorities with DNA samples.
Investigators finished identifying the 40 dead on Sunday and said on Monday that they had identified all 116 people who were injured, from several countries.
On Monday, the Paris prosecutor’s office announced that it was opening a probe to assist the Swiss investigation and make it easier for families of French victims to communicate with Swiss investigators. Nine French citizens were killed, the youngest 14, and 23 were injured.
Féraud said reports from the inspections that were carried out mentioned a maximum capacity of 100 people on the bar's ground floor and 100 in its basement. It's unclear how many people were in Le Constellation when the blaze broke out and investigators have said that may never be known.
The municipality said the bar's owner obtained a permit to build a veranda in 2015 and also carried out interior work at the bar that did not require a permit.
It said it has now decided to ban the use of fireworks indoors and commission an external agency to carry out inspections of such establishments.
John Leicester in Paris contributed to this report.
Nicolas Feraud, Mayor of Crans-Montana speaks during a press conference of the Crans-Montana Municipal Council following the fire that broke out at a New Year's party, in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Cyril Zingaro/Keystone via AP)
Police officers carry a coffin with the body of one of six Italians at the Military Airport in Sion, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, following a devastating fire in a bar in Crans-Montana during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Swiss Minister of Justice Beat Jans and State Councillor Mathias Reynard lay flowers at the sealed off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
People stand around floral tributes and candles placed outside the sealed off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)
