No. 7 Virginia Overcomes Anthony Lamb, Vermont

Virginia needed every bit of Mamadi Diakite’s 19-point effort to defeat a Vermont team led by Anthony Lamb, who poured in 30 points of his own.

Virginia men’s basketball defeated Vermont 61-55 Tuesday night in a fight between two previously unbeaten teams. Both programs brought the intensity of their defenses before the No. 7 Cavaliers emerged victorious.

Vermont, fresh off an upset win over St. John’s, took an early lead with a layup from Daniel Giddens in the first 21 seconds. Confusion circulated John Paul Jones Arena as fans and players alike looked perplexed when the ball was handed back to Virginia to inbound after the shot. Were the Hoos really behind?

The confusion only continued as the Catamounts increased their lead to 7-0 under three minutes in. The uneasiness coursing through the arena was understandable given the fact that, prior to this game, the Cavaliers led for 111 minutes and 41 seconds of their 120 minutes played.

While the Catamounts enjoyed a sharp start, Virginia was just the opposite, recording three turnovers in the first 2:14. Mamadi Diakite responded with a three of his own to put the Hoos on the board as the clock hit 16:21. The redshirt senior followed with a rebound off of Vermont’s basket in the next play, and suddenly the Cavaliers were settling into the game.

UVA grabbed an 8-7 lead after Braxton Key’s 3-point play. All seemed well, everything was back in place, as Virginia got back to forcing uncontested shots. The Cavaliers’ strict defense allowed for them to go on a 14-0 run to grab a 14-7 lead. After a fast start, the Catamounts scored just 11 more points on 4-of-19 shooting the rest of the half. Virginia led Vermont 24-18 at halftime.

Catamounts star Anthony Lamb, who averaged 18.3 points per game coming in, connected on a 3-pointer just before halftime. This would be the start of a huge night for the senior. He poured in 25 second half points to finish with a game-high 30 points, becoming the 11th player to score 30 or more against a Tony Bennett-led Virginia team. He also tallied a career-high seven 3-pointers against, a performance eerily similar to one Virginia’s experienced against Purdue in the 2019 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.

“He reminded me of last year when we played against Purdue, Carsen Edwards” said Diakite, who was one of the primary defenders of the talented Lamb. “He hit it again, and again and again. It’s not that you couldn’t stop him, it’s just one of those days when everything falls in. Again, I wanted to take the challenge. I responded to it.”

Diakite had a game of his own, achieving a team-high 19 points and six rebounds. He also had a career-high three 3s. His five 3s this season are tied for the most he has had in any season. He has grown as a player and a teammate, emerging as a leader on the team, as well.

“He’s played well,” head coach Tony Bennett said of Diakite. “He just has to continue to stay within himself but stay aggressive and just lock in. I said we need his ability to do things, and just sound and tough and let your play do the talking. And that’s the best way. Play with passion, but remain humble and let your play do the talking, I think that’s really important.”

Unfortunately for the Hoos, the Catamounts returned in the second half with the same energy they embodied to start of the game. Lamb helped his team regain the lead, 28-26, with the first of five consecutive 3s he would make in the second half. Another 3 by Lamb gave the Catamounts their largest second half lead at 40-36 at the 9:40 mark, but the Hoos responded with a 10-3 run of their own. The teams battled back and forth before Virginia pulled away late, outlasting a terrific performance by Lamb.

Lamb scored 25 points in the first 14:35 of the second half but was held scoreless for the final five minutes of the game. This conveniently aligned with Diakite’s layup with 5:12 remaining, the first points in a 13-6 run by the Hoos to close out the contest.

“I think in the first half we didn’t come out ready” UVA sophomore point guard Kihei Clark said. “We are just kind of locked in even more, and kind of got into the game, yeah I think that was a good test for us. I think the coaches do a good job with just keeping us poised, and we got a lot of veterans on the team that don’t get flustered playing the game.”

Clark had 15 points of his own, making 3-of-4 from beyond the arc while displaying the clutch confidence fans and coach Bennett saw first-hand last season. His courage to take 3s paid off as UVA turned in its best 3-point shooting performance of the year. The Cavaliers made 8-of-23 from beyond the arc against Vermont, not great but a welcome change from the 23.5% they were making before this game

“I learned not to question him and what he can do” Bennett said. “I saw him in some remarkable situations an inexperienced first year in the biggest moments step up and do a number of things when it was needed at the most, high intense times, or high-pressure situations.”

UVA limited it first three opponents to fewer than 50 points for the first time since the 1948-49 season. While 61-55 might not appear to be an aggressively offensive score, for these teams it truly was exciting. Going into this game, the Catamounts were averaging 64.8 points per game, and allowing 59.3. The Cavaliers on average were scoring 57.7 points and giving up only 36.7 points. Both teams out did themselves on scoring, given their defensive matchups.

Virginia still limited Vermont to 38.5% shooting, and secured 46.9% shooting for the night to lock down the win. The Cavaliers enjoyed a season-best 51.9% shooting in a half in the second half. In addition, UVA surrendered only 10 turnovers in the game including three after halftime.

“I just said soundness.” Bennett said. “Take care of the ball, nothing Earth shattering. I thought he valued it a little more. The way we’re gonna win, we know our way. It’s gotta be sound with the ball, get the right shots, make free throws and then be tough as nails defensively.”

The Cavaliers hope to find this soundness again Saturday at noon, when Virginia faces UMass in Uncasville, Connecticut, as part of the final rounds of the Air Force Reserve Tip-Off Tournament. The winner in this upcoming battle of unbeatens meets the winner of Arizona State/St. John’s for the tournament title on Sunday.

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