It may have been aesthetically unpleasant, but don’t say Virginia’s 48-44 victory over Northwestern on Wednesday night was ugly. For the Cavaliers, any road win is a beautiful thing, especially one earned through rebounding, defense and clutch play down the stretch.
Led by Elton Brown, No. 24 UVa (5-0) stayed unbeaten despite its second-worst offensive output in Pete Gillen’s seven years as head coach. How? By allowing its fewest points in a game under Gillen. The patient and plodding Wildcats (1-4) controlled the tempo and kept things close throughout the contest, played as part of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, but the Cavs scored the final four points – all on free throws – and prevailed in their first road game of the season.
“We didn’t play real well, but it was a gutty win for our kids,” Gillen said.
Brown scored 15 points, including UVa’s first eight of the game, and pulled down 12 rebounds for his fourth double-double in five games. He helped Virginia claim a 33-25 advantage on the boards, a big factor on a night when possessions were at a premium. Neither team shot a free throw in the first half and the Wahoos finished with no fast-break points.
The Cavaliers won it with defense. Using primarily a matchup zone, they did a good job against Northwestern’s deliberate, Princeton-style offense, forcing 16 turnovers from a team that averaged fewer than 10 last season. The Wildcats took a 32-29 lead with 14 minutes remaining, but Virginia held them to 12 points the rest of the way. Northwestern made just two baskets in the last eight minutes and did not score in the final 2:28.
“This team right here is special,” Brown said. “Last year we wouldn’t have pulled this kind of game out.”
Brown carried the offensive load in the first half, scoring 12 points to give Virginia a 23-19 lead. He was the only Cavalier to score in the first 10 minutes of the game. Eventually, after the Wildcats double-teamed him more in the second half, he got some help from Devin Smith (10 points), Sean Singletary (8) and Jason Clark (7).
Singletary, the freshman point guard, struggled in his first road game, finishing with six turnovers and two assists. But he made a 3-pointer and another short shot – both times after his initial shot was blocked – to give Virginia a 44-37 lead with 5:20 left. His free throw with 4.5 seconds left clinched the win.
“Sean was a little rattled at times today – it was his first road game, it was tough – but he made some big plays when he had to make them,” Gillen said.
Vedran Vukusic scored 16 points for Northwestern, including a pair of free throws that tied the game at 44 with 2:28 left.
On the next possession, after Gillen used his last timeout, J.R. Reynolds calmly drained two free throws following a reach-in foul. Neither team managed to score for nearly two minutes as Northwestern missed two shots, Singletary missed the front end of a one-and-one and Reynolds committed a turnover. Finally, with 15.5 seconds remaining, Brown drew a foul and made the second of two foul shots for a 47-44 lead.
During a Northwestern timeout, Gillen told his players to foul rather than let the Wildcats attempt a game-tying 3-pointer. Singletary fouled T.J. Parker, the brother of San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker, and the strategy paid off when Parker missed the front end of the one-and-one.
“We were up 3 and we didn’t want to let them hit a 3 to beat us,” Gillen said. “They’re a very good 3-point shooting team historically. I felt if they hit a 3 and the game goes into overtime, they probably win with the momentum.”
Singletary’s free throw iced the game and gave Virginia one point more than it scored in a 68-47 loss to Georgia Tech on Feb. 9, 2000 – the lowest point total in Gillen’s tenure at UVa. This was the first time under Gillen that the Cavs have won while scoring fewer than 58 points and the first time they have allowed fewer than 49 points.
