Kihei Clark scored a game-high 18 points and the defense of No. 3 Virginia stifled Florida State, leading the Cavaliers to a 62-57 win in the teams’ Atlantic Coast Conference opener on Saturday in Charlottesville, Va.

Jayden Gardner had 10 points and seven rebounds, Armaan Franklin added nine points and Ben Vander Plas and Reece Beekman finished with seven points apiece as Virginia remained undefeated (7-0, 1-0 ACC).

While the Cavaliers struggled offensively, going 18 of 51 (35.3 percent) from the field, including 5 of 19 (26.3 percent) from 3-point range, they were terrific defensively.

The Cavaliers outrebounded the Seminoles 40-38 and forced them to shoot 21 of 64 (32.8 percent) from the field, including 6 of 18 (33.3 percent) from beyond the arc.

The Seminoles (1-9, 0-1), who lost their fifth straight game, were led by Darin Green Jr., who had 17 points, four rebounds and two assists. Matthew Cleveland added 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, with Jalen Warley and Caleb Mills each scoring seven points.

Leading 25-24 with 18:31 left in the second half, the Cavaliers took control of the game by going on an 18-7 run to take a 43-31 lead they wouldn’t relinquish following Gardner’s layup with 11:16 to go.

Florida State pulled to within 60-57 on Mills’ three-point play with 7.6 seconds left, but Beekman made two free throws to secure the win.

Neither team led by more than four points during a defensive-minded first half in which both teams struggled mightily on offense and ended with the Seminoles leading 22-21.

Green scored seven points and Tom House had six in the first 20 minutes for Florida State, which shot 7 of 28 (25 percent) from the field, including 3 of 9 (33.3 percent) from beyond the arc.

Virginia was led by Franklin’s six points, while Clark added five.

The Cavaliers shot 6 of 26 (23.1 percent) from the field, including 3 of 11 (27.3 percent) from distance.

–Field Level Media