Virginia lost its first three ACC road games this season, but it made sure to avoid the same fate in the last three league road games with a win at Clemson on Tuesday night. After dropping narrow one-possession road games to top 20 teams Duke and Miami, the Cavaliers pulled away from the Tigers down the stretch to win 64-57 in Greenville, South Carolina.
The Hoos finished 4-5 on the road in ACC play despite the 0-3 start. They have won 12 ACC games in three straight seasons for the first time since 1981-83. They’re also still alive for a share of a third straight ACC Regular Season Championship, but will need losses from Miami and North Carolina plus a win in the finale against Louisville to get there.
UVA coach Tony Bennett noted that his team didn’t stop battling after those early losses and that fight has allowed them to stay near the top of the league standings.
“This year we’ve lost some tough ones and they haven’t made excuses,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said per The Associated Press. ”They’ve just showed up and played and realized it’s worth the fight. That’s what I like from them.”
”We never stop fighting,” Cavalier guard London Perrantes said per The Associated Press. ”We’re hoping it helps in the long run and we feel that it has.”
Virginia needed that feisty spirit down the stretch against Clemson.
The Hoos started fast with a 12-0 lead in the first 5:04, but the Tigers had clawed all the way to the lead early in the second half. The hosts took their first lead at 35-34 when Jaron Blossomgame hit a 3-pointer at the 16:25 mark. They’d lead again at 42-41, 44-43, and 47-46 but each time, the Cavaliers had a response.
After Blossomgame’s triple led to UVA’s first deficit, Marial Shayok hit a 3-pointer at the end of the shot clock to take the lead back at 15:51. Clemson’s Donte Grantham pushed his team ahead again at 42-41 but Anthony Gill eventually tilted the lead back to his team with a pair of free throws. Gabe DeVoe seesawed the lead back to the hosts at 44-43 at 8:08, but Virginia’s Devon Hall responded with a 3-pointer at the top of the key just 26 seconds later. Devoe gave his team one last lead with a long 3-pointer with 6:52 remaining, but the Wahoos’ answer at 47-46 was much more authoritative. They had the lead back just 30 seconds later and ended the game on an 18-10 run.
Gill played a huge role in the final 10 minutes to help the Hoos put the game away. He scored 5 points in the stretch run, twice pushing his team back in front after a brief deficit on the scoreboard. In addition the aforementioned free throws, he also is the one that put UVA ahead for good when he secured an offensive rebound to keep a possession alive and eventually posted a traditional 3-point play with a strong layup and free throw combo. He also added 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and an assist in the final 10 minutes. Plus, he set a solid screen to get Perrantes open for a 3-pointer in the game-ending stretch too.
Gill finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds, his third double-double this season. He also passed Adam Hall (1,104) for 41st on the program’s all-time scoring list with 1,105 career points now on his resume.
“Yes, I thought he was good in the last 10 minutes,” Bennett said. “He battled, that is what he did. … Anthony responded late in the game and had to do some things. He rolled his ankle a little at halftime, but he is okay. It took three guys in double figures and two others with nine points … so that balance was important.”
The Cavaliers did spread the offensive wealth after Malcolm Brogdon started the game with a bang. He scored 14 points in the first 10 minutes, sparking the 12-0 run to start the game. He finished with 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 blocked shot, and 1 steal.
Perrantes joined Gill and Brogdon in double figures with 13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Shayok and Devon Hall each added 9 points on 3-of-5 shooting. Shayok posted 5 rebounds and 1 assist too, while Hall cleared a career-high 7 rebounds along with 1 assist of his own. Each player hit a big 3-pointer as noted above after Clemson took the lead in the second half.
Shayok also gave UVA the ability to go to a four-guard lineup that proved to be a key part of the win. The move to put Shayok in the lineup in place of Isaiah Wilkins, Evan Nolte, or Mike Tobey allowed Virginia to shift Brogdon over to Blossomgame on defense. While the Clemson star did plenty of damage with 31 points on 10-of-16 shooting, the Cavaliers’ switch reduced some of the defense’s issues down the stretch.
Throw in the advantages gained with Shayok’s offensive output and that versatility helped tip the scales in the Hoos’ favor.
“It was by necessity due to the way the Jaron was playing – we just didn’t have anyone who could match up with him,” Bennett said. “We needed someone who could bother his shot and he was terrific, so that forced us to go unconventional. We weren’t perfect, we had some mistakes, but I thought we righted the ship with those four guards, figured out our ball screen defense and then ran some decent offense. We don’t do that a lot, but it was important for us to execute in that setting.”
