For the second straight game, an opponent that defeated Virginia in the final moments last season tested the Cavaliers’ resolve down the stretch again. Both times, the Hoos have answered. On Tuesday night, James Madison provided the challenge but UVA pulled out the 55-50 win to reach 8-0 headed into its exam break.
That final score captures exactly what kind of game it was at the John Paul Jones Arena. Both teams battled defensively to make earning points difficult and neither really backed down from the growing moments of pressure. The result turned out to be a physical and low-scoring game for the second straight year even though both team featured much improved offenses this season. JMU came into the contest leading the nation in scoring, while Virginia had scored 70 or more points in every game but one before Tuesday.
“I think we emptied our tank defensively,” UVA coach Tony Bennett said. “Maybe that’s why we were struggling at the line, but both teams played incredibly hard. I want to credit Mark [Byington] and his ball club because they’re very good. I think they’ve improved from last year as I think we have and they play hard. The reason why I think they’re good is they can play a couple different styles. … It was just one of those hard fought games that I would call beautiful.”
The effort defensively paid off for the Wahoos. They held the Dukes to 50 points, which was nearly half of their season average before the game. That performance included keeping the visitors below 30% shooting in both halves. James Madison made 15 of 55 shots for a 27.3% night, which broke down to 27.6% shooting in the first half and 26.9% shooting in the second half. Takal Molson and Justin Amadi were the only two players to reach 40% or better shooting as Molson scored 20 points on 6-15 shooting, while Amadi added 6 points on 2-3 shooting. Vado Morse added 11 points as well in a reserve role but he made 3 of 10 attempts.
Virginia also blocked 10 shots and swiped 6 steals so this wasn’t simply a case of JMU missing shots. UVA, other than allowing 13 offensive rebounds, simply made it difficult for JMU to find much rhythm or success on offense. Impressively, that came without the help of Reece Beekman for most of the game. He left after just 3:47 with a potential hamstring injury, but the Hoos managed to overcome his absence.
Jayden Gardner and Ryan Dunn had a lot to do with that success statistically. Gardner posted 14 points with 8 rebounds (6 defense) and added 2 blocks. Dunn chipped in 4 points, 5 rebounds (all defense), and 3 blocked shots. Kadin Shedrick had 2 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots, while Armaan Franklin added 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal. In addition to the other numbers, Virginia also prevented many fastbreak points (8) and forced 12 turnovers.
“For us to gut that out against a team like JMU without Reece and then giving all those other guys opportunities was a challenge,” Bennett said. “That was the challenge in the game. We haven’t played without Reece all year, now we’re going to have to put different guys in there and play a lot of minutes. They put pressure on you in transition, they down the floor fast, they can shoot the three, they get on the offensive glass, and they drive hard plus there’s a lot of moving parts.”
Interestingly, a defensive lapse from Dunn set up a highlight moment for him offensively. Virginia had pulled away from a 42-42 tie with a 9-1 run fueled mostly by two Gardner buckets and two Gardner free throws. The Dukes, however, climbed back to a 52-50 deficit with 1:01 to play when Molson beat Dunn off the dribble and got to the rim for a layup. That’s what put the game in roughly the same scenario as last season’s matchup that saw Molson hit consecutive buckets to give his team the win in Harrisonburg.
Dunn, however, responded to that momentary defensive breakdown with a critical play offensively. With the Hoos nursing that two-point lead, the freshman caught the ball on the next possession and drove to the baseline from the right corner for a layup while bouncing off of JMU defender Tyree Ihenacho. While that was one of just two buckets for Dunn, it clearly made a big impact on the outcome.
“He ripped baseline, went, and as I said his length is real,” Bennett said. “That was a heck of a play. He hung in the air and finished it.”
“After I got scored on, I was kind of mad at myself. I knew we needed to get the stop at that play, during that time so I was trusting myself to slide,” Dunn said. “No. 15 hit me with a good move, I got separated, and he hit the layup. So we came back down just trying to get offense and I just kind of decided if I get it, I’m going to be aggressive and try to make a play. I ripped baseline, scored, and I was trying to keep my composure like you said.”
Prior to that key basket, the Hoos had relied heavily on Kihei Clark and Gardner for offense after intermission. Clark hit a pair of 3-pointers to open the second half and added a traditional 3-point play a few minutes later as well. He then assisted on a Ben Vander Plas dunk and both of the buckets from Gardner in the aforementioned 9-1 run that broke the tie in the final 8 minutes. Clark also had the assist on Dunn’s late layup.
In the end, the senior stepped up in a big way after Beekman left with the injury. Clark logged 38 minutes and posted 18 points to go with 7 assists. That accounted for half of the team’s 14 assists that helped generate 19 baskets. On the heels of an 18-point, 3-assist outing against Florida State, Clark played a massive role in getting the team to the exam break unbeaten. He could have had an even bigger night, though. He made just 6 of 12 free throws.
That was part of a bigger theme for the Hoos. They made just 12 of 24 free throws and missed the chance to avoid some late-game drama by missing multiple attempts at the line late in the game. Clark, Gardner, Isaac McKneely, and Vander Plas all missed at least one free throw in the final 8 minutes.
“There was more defensive composure and poise,” Bennett said. “I think that team settled in that I played at the end and we just went with it and made enough plays offensively despite missing the free throws. That was just kind of last man standing. Who could come up with enough stops and squeak out enough points.”
Anyone still peeved off at Kihei for staying?
Love him
Ignore the Kihei haters. He will go down in history as one of the greatest point guards in the history of UVA basketball (if not the greatest). If it were not for his magical pass to Diakite in the Purdue game, UVA would not have won a national championship.
Just ask his teammates and coaches who stirs the drink on their team. Should he lead this team to another national championship, I think his number should hang from the rafters.