Defense Rests in 90-68 Loss to Deacs

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — If defense and rebounding are good measuring sticks of a team’s resolve, it looks like Virginia is going to go out with a whimper this season. The Cavaliers sure didn’t put up much of a fight (other than a few cheap shots by Elton Brown) in falling to No. 6 Wake Forest, 90-68, at Lawrence Joel Coliseum on Sunday.

The Demon Deacons shot 61% from the field and dominated the boards by a 38-23 margin. UVa offered little resistance while falling to 13-12 overall and 4-10 in the ACC, its third straight year with at least 10 conference losses. With two regular-season games remaining, Virginia is tied with Clemson for ninth in the league standings.

It was the third straight loss for the Wahoos after a three-game winning streak. It ended any NCAA tournament hopes for Virginia, barring an ACC tournament championship, and all but sealed the fate of coach Pete Gillen, who is likely to be fired once the season is over.

“They were very big and physical. They’re bigger and more athletic and talented than we are,” Gillen said. “They wore us down. They’re a great team. We just couldn’t stop them. We fought hard but we just ran out of gas in the second half.”

Devin Smith scored 16 of his 22 points in the first half.

Offensively, the Cavaliers had some bright spots. Devin Smith scored 22 points, while J.R. Reynolds and T.J. Bannister broke out of shooting slumps with 15 points each. The ‘Hoos made nine 3-pointers and pulled within five points early in the second half, but their defense was dreadful . Wake made 18 of 25 shots (72%) in the second half, converting dunks, layups and open jumpers while pulling away.

Justin Gray led the Deacs (24-4, 11-3 ACC) with 20 points. Chris Paul and Eric Williams each scored 17 and Vytas Danelius had 13.

Virginia’s two hottest players, Sean Singletary and Gary Forbes, had subpar games. Singetary was hampered by foul trouble and also appeared to injure his right leg when Paul fell on it in the second half. He returned minutes later but fouled out with 10:56 remaining, finishing with seven points and no assists. Forbes went scoreless in 15 minutes and barely played in the second half. (Gillen said he wasn’t happy with Forbes’s defense.) Brown had six points and six rebounds.

It was a contentious game. Brown appeared to punch Wake center Kyle Visser in the side while running downcourt. He also elbowed Paul in the head, knocking him to the ground, though Brown was not called for a foul on either play. Paul scowled at the officials and Wake coach Skip Prosser earned a technical for yelling at them about Brown’s behavior.

Smith kept the Cavs in contention by himself early on, scoring 16 points in the first half. His teammates totaled just 15 as Wake took a 44-31 lead at the break.

Bannister and Reynolds heated up in the second half. Reynolds swished an open 3-pointer, Singletary converted a layup off a steal and Bannister drained a trey to make it 46-41. A few minutes later, Bannister – who had made just one 3-pointer all season – canned another shot from behind the arc to bring Virginia within 53-47.

The Deacs seized control from there, however, as Williams threw down a dunk and Paul drove for two baskets to push the lead into double digits. Justin Downey, one of three Wake seniors playing in his final home game, had four points in an 8-0 run that put the game out of reach.

“I thought we were in a bit of a malaise offensively and defensively,” Prosser said. “I think we shook that malaise a little bit in the second half.”

The malaise of Virginia basketball continues, however, and the Cavs may end up with the bottom seed in the ACC tournament if they lose their final two games against N.C. State (Wednesday at U-Hall) and Florida State (next Sunday in Tallahassee).