Men’s Cross Country: Virginia places three on ACC All-Academic Team
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Rohan Asfaw, Jacob Hunter and Derek Johnson of Virginia’s men’s cross-country team were named as members of the 2021 ACC All-Academic Team.
Asfaw has now collected the honor for the second consecutive season while Derek Johnson is named to the team following a 2021 season in which he was selected to the USTFCCCA All-Academic team. All three athletes were members of the 2021 ACC Honor Roll.
At the 2021 South Region Cross-Country Championships, Asfaw led the way for the Cavaliers as he set a personal best time in the 10k (29:57.5). Just three seconds behind was Johnson who also set a personal best as both runners finished in the top-25. Jacob Hunter recorded his best 10k time as well (30:40.0).
All three athletes finished in the top-50 at the ACC Championships where Virginia placed eighth as a team. Asfaw finished 13th with a personal best 8k time of 23:56.9, while Hunter also turned in a personal best performance (24.32.0).
Minimum academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0-grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one’s academic career. Athletic achievements during the most recent season are also considered in selecting the All-ACC Academic Team.
The ACC Honor Roll, which recognizes all conference student-athletes with a grade point average of 3.0 for the current academic year, will be released in July.
Scattershooting: Chris Mack, Notre Dame, football recruiting and quick hitters …
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Scattershooting around the ACC, while saying so long to Chris Mack. We hardly knew ya…
None of us had an inkling that we were likely watching Mack’s last game for Louisville a couple of nights ago at JPJ when Virginia defeated the Cardinals once again in a series UVA has dominated ever since Rick Pitino brought that program to the ACC.
By the time you read this, Mack may have already been given the boot. There is a scheduled meeting with school officials this afternoon, where it is believed Mack will agree to a buyout and an interim coach will be named.
The Cardinals dropped to 11-9 on the season, the program’s worst record after 20 games in more than 20 years.
Rick Bozich of Louisville’s WDRB.com wrote today that he had spoken with anonymity to five former Louisville players and they agreed that it was time for a change and that the program was a mess.
“This team is so broken,” one player from the Cardinals’ national championship team told Bozich. “There’s not one player on this team that would play major minutes on our best teams in the 80s.”
Another player said it was frightening how far the program had fallen and that “it’s going to take three to five years to get it back.”
Wahoos down to 10 games
If this Virginia team is going to keep its NCAA Tournament streak alive, it has a lot of work to do over the next 10 regular season games.
We’re at the halfway point of the ACC season and the Cavaliers are 6-4, and oddly only a game behind first place in league standings. UVA got a slight bump from Monday’s win over Louisville as the Cavaliers moved from No. 100 in the NET rankings to 96.
UVA will have a chance to improve over the last 10, although they have only two games scheduled against a current Quad 1 opponent: home and away against Duke, which is No. 12 in the rankings (Quad 1 is composed of teams ranked 1-30 in the NET).
Here are the Cavaliers’ remaining regular season games and opponents’ present NET ranking: at Notre Dame (No. 72); Boston College (172); Miami (home & away, 67); Duke (home & away, 12); Georgia Tech (174); at Virginia Tech (58); Florida State (57) and at Louisville (115).
UVA’s next game is Saturday after at Notre Dame, which is unbeaten at home this season. The Irish play at NC State tonight. If you tune in, check out seniors Dane Goodwin and Nate Laszewski.
Goodwin is the only player in a major conference shooting .500 (51.3) from the field, 40 percent from the arc (48.2) and 90 percent from the free throw line (91.9), while averaging 15 points (15.2) per game. Goodwin and Laszewski give Notre Dame the only two shooters in the country that rank in the top 12 in 3-point field goal percentage. Goodwin is No. 2 (48.2) and Laszewski is 12th (43.9).
Virginia, by the way, ranks No. 277 out of 350 Division I basketball teams, in 3-point field goal percentage defense.
Wahoos No. 2 on Taz list
While the decision is some time down the road, Virginia is on the radar of one of North Carolina’s up and coming wide receivers in Preston “Taz” Torrence.
The Gastonia, N.C., receiver is 5-10, 175 and projects to be 6-foot by the time he reaches college (just finished his sophomore year). He has 4.4 speed and a high football IQ. Those who have observed him at camps say his route running skills are already equivalent to those of a D1 mid junior level wide receiver. He has stood out in 7 on 7 drills as a sophomore against SEC/ACC/Big 10 five stars. Some of the coaches observing thought he was a senior rather than only 15 years old.
Taz, who is in ROTC and is an honor roll student, just announced his top five choices (subject to change): 1. Clemson, 2. Virginia, 3. NC State, 4. USC, 5. Winston-Salem State. Taz’s family said his interest in Virginia evolved when the Cavaliers named former Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott as head coach.
Quick hits …
# Clemson coach Brad Brownell was asked after losing a close game at Duke on Tuesday night, if he was surprised the Tigers took only one free throw after focusing on working the ball inside the lane most of the game: “Yes,” Brownell said as he tossed his glasses onto the table, “That’s happened here before, too.”
# In case you haven’t heard, Miami has gotten rid of its Turnover Chain, thanks to new coach Mario Cristobal.
# Virginia is 13-2 against Louisville since 2013. The Cardinals are 6-7 vs Duke during that span, 4-8 vs UNC and 3-7 vs state rival Kentucky.
# Our pal Danny Neckel dug up this nugget this week about Virginia’s Reece Beekman. He is the only major college player in at least the past 30 years to post at least 150 assists, 75 steals and 25 blocked shots in their first 45 games.
Virginia in the mix for dynamic All-MAC pass rusher
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Virginia has entered the recruiting battle for Miami (Ohio) defensive end Kam Butler, who entered the transfer portal after starting three years for the RedHawks.
The 6-foot-3, 250-pound pass rusher has also been offered by Penn State and Ole Miss. Butler, who posted 16 sacks and 30 tackles for loss over three seasons at Miami (the 2020 season was shortened to three games due to the pandemic), would be a welcome addition to a Virginia defensive front that failed to pressure opposing quarterbacks in 2021.
A native of Florence, Ky., Butler was first-team All-MAC last season and second-team in both 2020 and 2019. During that span, he recorded 114 tackles. He was the RedHawks’ defensive player of the year in 2019. His eight sacks last season was sixth-most in the MAC and his 12 solo tackles for loss were fourth-most. He also had three forced fumbles in ‘21.
Miami coach Chuck Martin said of Butler during the shortened 2020 campaign:
“I’ve been coaching for 29 years and I’m talking every day at practice, [Butler’s] motor runs as hot as any player I’ve coached. Even our hardest-working teammates would tell you Kam Butler never has an off switch. He just plays at a feverish pace and a relentless pursuit.”
After Miami’s game against Akron that season, Martin praised his defensive end’s work:
“I swear, every time I looked up he was either sacking somebody, a tackle for loss, or he was chasing somebody a hundred miles an hour. It was literally like they can’t block him. He’s become one of the premiere players in our league.”
Noah Nichols, Gretchen Walsh earn ACC weekly swimming honors
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Sophomore Noah Nichols and freshman Gretchen Walsh earned ACC Swimming & Diving weekly honors.
Nichols was Co-Men’s Swimmer of the Week with Louisville’s Nick Albiero. Nichols swept the 100 and 200 breaststroke in two duals against ACC rivals last weekend. The Midlothian, Virginia, native recorded NCAA B cuts to win the 100 (53.22) and 200 (1:57.58) against North Carolina and followed it up the next day versus No. 3 NC State by taking the 100 (53.26) and 200 (1:56.68) once again. Nichols also was part of the Cavaliers’ winning 400 medley relay team (3:10.01) against UNC.
Walsh picked up her second ACC Women’s Swimmer of the Week after winning four individual events and part of two relay wins in UVa’s dual wins over No. 24 North Carolina and No. 5 NC State. The Nashville, Tennessee, native highlighted the NC State win with a blistering 23.04 leadoff swim in the 200 medley relay on Saturday, setting an American record in the 50 backstroke. The relay set a UVA pool record with its time of 1:33.74. Walsh also swam an NCAA A time (50.61) to win the 100 backstroke against NC State and won the 100 freestyle (48.05, NCAA B) by over two seconds. Walsh also won the 50 free (22.03) and 100 butterfly (52.43) against UNC, notching NCAA B times in both events.
Men’s Tennis: Iñaki Montes named ACC Player of the Week
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Virginia men’s tennis sophomore Iñaki Montes (Pamplona, Spain) has been named the ACC Men’s Tennis Player of the Week.
Montes went 2-0 in singles last week, including picking up a straight-set victory against No. 17 Henry von der Schulenburg of Harvard while playing at No. 1 singles. It was the highest-ranked opponent Montes has defeated in his collegiate career. Montes also had a 6-3, 6-0 victory on the No. 2 court in the Cavaliers’ season-opener against Liberty and went 3-0 in doubles.
This is the second time in Montes’ career he has been named the ACC Player of the Week after earning that honor last season (Apr. 6). Montes also earned the ACC Doubles Team of the Week honor twice last season (Mar. 20 and Apr. 6).
Virginia gains yet another O-Line commit from Fort Lauderdale center
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Virginia’s football commitment spree continued Tuesday when 3-star center Dawson Alters of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., decommitted from Vanderbilt and committed to the Cavaliers.
Alters (6-foot-2, 265 pounds) also held offers from Miami, Syracuse and Penn.
The Saint Thomas Aquinas standout had committed to Vandy in December but had second thoughts. After a visit from UVA offensive line coach Garett Tujague, Alters announced on his Twitter account that he had decommitted from the SEC’s Commodores and was headed to Virginia instead.
“Champions are forged,” wrote Alters on his Twitter. “Coach Elliott, Coach 2j, and the entire staff have the vision and purpose to make us champions. I’m all in.”
Champions are forged. Coach Elliot, Coach 2j, and the entire staff have the vision and purpose to make us champions. I’m all in. LETS GOOOO!!!@Coach_TElliott @Coach2J @UVAFootball @CoachHarriott @STA_Football @AquinasRaiders @JacquieFran_ @ABLichtenstein @5Studs @Nate_Garner_75 pic.twitter.com/HuFf4szYZk
— Dawson Alters (@Dawson_alters) January 25, 2022
Alters is the fourth offensive line recruit to commit to Tony Elliott’s program since Saturday. The Cavaliers lost their entire starting offensive line the past two months, mostly to the transfer portal.
Virginia places six on ACC All-Academic Football Team
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Six Virginia football student-athletes were recognized as members of the 2021 Atlantic Coast Conference All-Academic Team. It marked the fifth season in a row that UVA has had at least six All-ACC Academic honorees, the longest streak in program history.
Defensive end Mandy Alonso (Educational Psychology – Social Foundations), safety Joey Blount (Educational Psychology – Social Foundations), kicker Brendan Farrell (history), defensive back Coen King (Government), football player Keytaon Thompson (Higher Education – Master’s) and tight end Jelani Woods (Higher Education – Master’s) were all honored for the academic prowess.
All except for Blount were honored for the first time in their careers. Blount was listed on the ACC All-Academic Team for the third-consecutive year. Woods became the 27th Cavalier to be first team All-ACC selection as well as a member of the ACC All-Academic Team.
The ACC has selected an ACC All-Academic Team every year since 1954, and with the addition of this year’s selections, UVA has had 253 student-athletes earn such honors since the inception of the award.
To be eligible for consideration for the team, a student-athlete must have earned a 3.00 grade point average for the previous semester and maintained a 3.00 cumulative average during his undergraduate and/or graduate academic career. All 15 ACC schools were represented on the team.
Shaffer, Turner Named to All-ACC Volleyball Academic Team
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Virginia’s Mary Shaffer and Grace Turner were named to the 2021 All-ACC Volleyball Academic Team.
Tuesday’s announcement marked the first time that both Shaffer and Turner garnered the honor and are the first Cavaliers to do so under the direction of Virginia first-year head coach Shannon Wells.
Shaffer, a Pre-Commerce major, appeared in 28 matches, including 26 starts, and played in 99 sets in 2021. She finished third on the team in kills per set (1.91) and total kills (189). She was crowned tournament MVP of the Cavaliers’ second home tournament of the season (Sept. 17-18) and was named to the all-tournament in UVA’s first home tournament of the season (Sept. 3-4). Shaffer posted a career-high 14 kills twice in 2021 and notched a career-best four blocks in four matches this past season. Shaffer appeared on ESPN SportsCenter’s Top-10 Plays – at No. 3 – for keeping a ball in play with her foot against Georgia Tech (Oct. 8) before capping the play with a block assist.
Turner, who earned her degree in Sociology in the Fall of 2021 and is now pursuing her master’s degree at UVA, appeared in all 28 matches, including 25 starts, and played in 98 sets. She led the team in points (283.0), points per set (2.89), aces (27) and aces per set (0.28). Turner also finished second on the team in kills (228) and kills per set (2.33). In 2021, she was the only player in the ACC to post a pair of five-ace performances, her career best. Turner’s season high of 19 kills at VCU (Sept. 10) propelled Virginia to a five-set triumph over the Rams. Her 19 kills were also the most by a Cavalier in a single match in 2021. Turner was named to the all-tournament team at the Maryland Invite (Aug. 27-28), where the Cavaliers went 2-1.
Minimum academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0-grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one’s academic career. Athletic achievements during the most recent season are also considered in selecting the All-ACC Academic Team.
The ACC Honor Roll, which recognizes all conference student-athletes with a grade point average of 3.0 for the current academic year, will be released in July.
Louisville just what the doctor ordered to cure Virginia hoops woes
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Virginia and Louisville came into Big Monday looking for a big win. Maybe the national TV audience didn’t take the matchup so seriously, but it couldn’t have been much bigger for the two middle-of-the-pack ACC teams fighting for their postseason lives while looking for their identity in the process.
The Cavaliers and Cardinals were almost identical, Virginia ranked No. 100 in the NET rankings and Louisville No. 113. Both teams were 11-8 overall, 5-4 in the conference.
UVA, which has not lost back-to-back games all season, desperately needed to hold serve on its own court. Louisville, which was booed off its home floor before its biggest crowd of the season in Sunday’s loss to Notre Dame, had lost four of its last five coming into Charlottesville.
The last thing Chris Mack needed was a bad start. How does getting outscored 25-8 in the first 11 minutes on the road sound? Must have left muttering those immortal words of Rick Pitino several years ago during the shortest postgame press conference in ACC history when he spit out his frustration against the Cavaliers: “Virginia is our Kryptonite.”
Mack, who actually more resembles Lex Luthor than Pitino ever could, must feel the curse down to his core. After Virginia’s super-fast start and strong finish, Mack suffered yet another defeat to the Cavaliers, 64-52.
Louisville has never won at John Paul Jones Arena and is only 2-13 against Virginia since the Cardinals joined the ACC. Tony Bennett is much too nice a guy to pull an Aaron Rodgers to the Bears and proclaim “I own you,” but it’s true.
Considering the circumstances, Louisville was exactly what the doctor ordered for UVA’s woes. The Cavaliers need every win they can get at this point, win all the games that they’re supposed to win, and take their chances against the remaining Quad-1 opponents they’ll face on the back end of the schedule.
Examining Virginia’s NET breakdown, the Cavaliers are 1-3 vs. Quad-1 opponents, 3-2 against Quad-2, 2-3 against Quad-3, and 6-0 against Quad-4.
What that means is that Quad-1 wins and Quad-3 and 4 losses will be important when Selection Sunday comes in terms of not only selection, but seeding, should Virginia right its ship.
Tony Bennett didn’t put his team through any torturous workouts on Sunday between a shabby performance at NC State and Monday night’s match.
He did tell his team he wanted more intensity, something that seemed to be lacking in Raleigh when the Wolfpack became only the second team during the Bennett era to shoot 60 percent against the Pack-Line defense.
It wasn’t the same team that came out swinging against punching-bag Louisville. After the 25-8 start, led by point guard Kihei Clark, the Cavaliers led 35-23 at the break.
Bennett said his team played “Virginia Basketball,” against Louisville, meaning strong defense, good ball movement on offense. The Cavaliers had 20 assists (a career-high 11 by Reece Beekman) on 24 field-goal attempts. They held Louisville to 37.5 percent.
“I thought we were crisp, found different things, moved well without the ball screen pretty well,” Bennett said. “There was a nice synergy in terms of how we played and were connected. Then they paired it with really good defense with good ball pressure, and responded the right way.”
To Mack’s credit, he tried a little bit of everything, slowing Virginia’s attack down with a 1-3 matchup zone, which the Cavaliers found open shots against and shredded with sharp passes.
Bennett liked the way his team bounced back from Saturday’s weak performance at NC State.
“NC State played well, we didn’t play the way we needed in order to be in that game,” Bennett said. “Tonight, they touched on it and sustained it pretty well. There was some good Virginia Basketball out there, hard offense, tough defense, didn’t give up easy looks and for the most part were connected again.
“Louisville was a little bit off their game, but I hope we had something to do with it.”
Clark celebrated the win with what his teammates described as “birthday buckets,” as the diminutive guard led all game scorers with 15 points on his birthday. Opponents must wonder if Clark is approaching 30 since it seems like he’s been hanging around the ACC for a long time.
Certainly between his and Beekman’s shared 16 assists, teammates benefitted, boasting four Cavaliers in double figures for only the second time this season. Jayden Gardner had 14, Kadin Shedrick 11 and Armaan Franklin 10, while Francisco Caffaro finished with 9.
Mack boarded the bus afterward unable to shake the thought of the horrible start for his Cardinals.
“The 25-8 deficit really put us behind the eight ball,” Mack said. “Virginia is a team that struggled to score all year, and after they got 25 points in the first eight or nine (actually 11) minutes, it was way more of a challenge for them to score after that point. We just can’t put ourselves in a 25-8 [deficit] to start a game.”
Kryptonite.
Bennett should be sure to get his managers to pack it for the trip to Notre Dame this weekend.
Virginia lands 340-pound OL DeMeritt over Kentucky & Georgia Tech
By Jerry Ratcliffe
After losing his entire starting offensive line, mostly through the controversial transfer portal, Virginia line coach Garett Tujague has busted his hump to recruit a new one.
Tujague and Tony Elliott’s coaching staff got some more good news Monday night when Noah DeMeritt, a 6-foot-4, 340-pound, 3-star guard announced his commitment to Virginia on his Twitter account. DeMerritt, from Kingsland, Ga. (Camden County HS), is the fourth offensive-line recruit Tujague has landed over the past five days.
DeMeritt selected Virginia over Kentucky, Georgia Tech and Nebraska. He squats 525 pounds and benches 325.
DeMeritt and McKale Boley, a 6-6, 300-pound offensive tackle from Hattiesburg, Miss., are the latest to commit to Virginia. Boley, who decommitted from Colorado in late November, chose the Cavaliers over Akron, Tulane and Florida International.
Cavaliers outlast Louisville, 64-52, behind big night from Clark
By Scott Ratcliffe
Virginia came out scorching, locked down defensively and held on down the stretch for a wire-to-wire 64-52 ACC win over Louisville Monday night.
Jumpstarted by senior guard Kihei Clark, who scored nine of his game-high 15 points in the first half, the Cavaliers (12-8, 6-4 ACC) won for the 13th time in 15 conference meetings — including all eight at John Paul Jones Arena — against the Cardinals (11-9, 5-5), who joined the league in 2014.
Senior forward Jayden Gardner added 14 points and 5 rebounds, as the Wahoos led by as many as 19 points in the opening stanza. Francisco Caffaro had another big game as well, finishing with 9 points and a game-high 7 rebounds.
The Cardinals trailed by double digits for the majority of the first half, but trimmed the UVA lead to six in the opening minutes of the second on a Jarrod West 3-pointer with 14:34 to play.
Malik Williams’ basket down low drew Louisville within four points as the game went under 12 minutes, but Kadin Shedrick and Gardner answered with consecutive buckets to restore a little breathing room and give the Hoos a 49-41 advantage.
West sank his fourth 3-ball of the night with 5:30 to go, cutting the UVA lead back down to five, and then had a jumper attempt rattle out a minute later that would’ve made it a one-possession affair, but Shedrick’s monster jam on the other end pushed the lead back to seven, 54-47, by the four-minute mark.
Out of the final media timeout, Gardner ooped one up for Shedrick to the delight of the JPJ crowd, then buried his own jumper moments later, and the Cardinals ran out of gas, dropping their fifth contest of the last six. Clark’s deep triple with 35 ticks left was the final dagger.
On the night, Virginia made 24 of 51 from the field (47 percent) and 5 of 16 from beyond the arc (31 percent), winning the rebound category convincingly, 37-26. The Hoos recorded 9 offensive boards, which led to 7 second-chance points, and were consistent from the charity stripe, sinking 11 of their 14 free throws (79 percent).
Second-year guard Reece Beekman scored just two points, but dished out a career-high 11 assists — the most by any ACC player this season — to go along with his 7 rebounds, 2 steals and a block. Armaan Franklin added 10 points and a pair of steals, while Shedrick posted 11 points, 6 boards and 3 blocks. It was just the second time this season that UVA had four players with double figures scoring (Syracuse).
Louisville was held to 38-percent shooting (21 of 56), including 9 of 28 from long distance (32 percent). West led the Cards with 14 points off the bench, while Matt Cross added 11 and Williams had 10.
FIRST HALF
Clark and Gardner got things going offensively, combining for nine of the team’s first 11 points as the Hoos built an eight-point lead by the first media timeout.
Clark nailed a corner triple before scoring on a pump-fake and a jumper, then delivered a no-look assist to Gardner, who sank back-to-back jumpers to give the Cavaliers some early confidence.
Later, Clark spun around his defender and banked one in, then fed Caffaro for two, stretching the UVA lead to 19-5 with 12:17 remaining in the half, as Louisville missed 12 of its first 15 shots (including nine of the first 10 from downtown), prompting a Chris Mack timeout.
Conversely, Virginia connected on eight of its first 12 shots and led by 17 as a Kody Stattmann 3-pointer bounced in to make it 25-8 as the clock went under eight minutes. The Wahoo defense was solid, scoring 10 first-half points off of Louisville turnovers.
The Cardinals eventually broke out of their cold spell, but couldn’t get much closer on the scoreboard as the teams traded buckets over the next few minutes. A West 3-pointer capped a late 7-0 Louisville spurt to get his team back within 10, but Beekman finished the half with a strong drive to the hole in the closing seconds and UVA led by a dozen, 35-23, at the break, despite misfiring on 10 of its last 14 attempts from the field.
Team Notes
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
- Virginia improved to 12-8, 6-4 ACC
- UVA is 7-4 at John Paul Jones Arena
- UVA forced one shot-clock violation (22 in 2021-22)
- UVA went on a 17-2 run to gain a 22-5 lead
- UVA led 35-23 at halftime
- UVA improved to 9-1 when leading at the half
- UVA outrebounded Louisville 37-26
- UVA had 20 assists on its 24 made field goals
Series Notes
- Virginia is 18-5 all-time vs. Louisville in a series that began in 1923-24
- UVA has a three-game winning streak vs. Louisville and has won 12 of the last 13 meetings
- UVA is 12-2 vs. the Cardinals in ACC action
- UVA has held Louisville to 59 or fewer points in 11 of 15 contests since the Cardinals joined the ACC in 2014-15
- Tony Bennett is 13-2 vs. Louisville as head coach at Virginia
Player Notes
- Double Figure Scorers: Kihei Clark (15), Jayden Gardner (14), Kadin Shedrick (11), Armaan Franklin (10)
- Gardner reached double figures for the 15th time (89th career)
- Clark reached double figures for the ninth time (43rd career)
- Shedrick reached double figures for the fifth time (7th career)
- Franklin reached double figures for the 14th time (28th career)
- Reece Beekman had a career-high 11 assists
- The 11 assists by Beekman are the most by any ACC player this season
- It’s also the first double-figure assist game in conference play this year (high was 9)
- Clark (5 assists) moved past Harold Deane into seventh on UVA’s all-time assist list with 469
- ACC steals leader Beekman had two steals
- Beekman has a 10-game steal streak
- Kadin Shedrick (3 blocks) had his 16th multi-block game
- Shedrick has a nine-game block streak
- Shedrick has at least one block in 19 of 20 games
- Shedrick has three or more blocks in 11 games
- Shedrick’s 54 blocks are tied for ninth with Chris Alexander on UVA’s single-season blocks list
UP NEXT
Virginia closes out the month of January in South Bend Saturday, tipping off against Notre Dame at 6 p.m. on ACC Network.
Six Cavaliers named to All-ACC Field Hockey Academic Team
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Six members of the Virginia field hockey team were named to the All-ACC Field Hockey Academic Team in honors announced Monday by the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Grad students Rachel Robinson and Makayla Gallen, seniors Amber Ezechiels and Annie McDonough, junior Laura Janssen and freshman Tyler Kennedy were all voted to the team.
This is the fourth time that Robinson and Ezechiels have earned the honor, the third for McDonough, the second for Janssen and the first for Gallen and Kennedy.
Each of the ACC’s seven field hockey programs is represented by multiple selections to the 2021 All-ACC Field Hockey Academic Team. That includes a league-record 21 student-athletes that also earned All-ACC honors. In addition, 12 members of this year’s All-ACC Field Hockey Academic Team were also NFHCA All-Americans, and 24 were named NFHCA All-Region.
The ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards were established in September of 2007 to be awarded annually to the top junior or senior student-athlete in their respective sports. Candidates for the awards must have maintained a 3.0-grade point average for their careers, as well as a 3.0 for each of the last two semesters.
Minimum academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0-grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one’s academic career. Athletic achievements during the most recent season are also considered in selecting the All-ACC Academic Team.
The ACC Honor Roll, which recognizes all conference student-athletes with a grade point average of 3.0 for the current academic year, will be released in July.
Virginia ranked No. 5 in Baseball America preseason poll
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
For the second straight season, Virginia is ranked No. 5 in Baseball America’s preseason poll. The Cavaliers have been in the publication’s preseason top-five, six times since the 2010 season.
The Cavaliers are coming off the program’s fifth College World Series appearance, all have come in the last 12 seasons. The five trips to Omaha since 2009 are tied for the second-most by any college baseball program
Virginia finished the 2021 season ranked in the top-10 in every major collegiate baseball poll and ranked as high as No. 6 according to Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, NCBWA and Perfect Game.
The Cavaliers are also nationally ranked in Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s preseason poll, coming in at No. 24.
Virginia Football picks up transfer portal O-lineman, Alabama high school defensive end
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Virginia Football got some good news Sunday when it picked up two commitments, including a transfer portal player and a 3-star high school recruit from Alabama.
Mac Hollensteiner, a 6-foot-6, 310-pound offensive tackle from Georgetown University, committed to Tony Elliott’s program. Hollensteiner, from Bethesda, Md., has two years of eligibility remaining.
UVA fans might wonder if the former Hoya player can match up against Power Five competition. Well, a host of other schools thought so. Hollensteiner was also offered by Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Colorado, Fresno State, along with some other schools including East Carolina, Rice, Akron, Georgia Southern, Tulane, Miami-Ohio and more.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers also received a Class of 2022 commitment from Terrell Jones of Hoover, Ala., one of that state’s top high school programs.
Jones, a 3-star defensive end, visited over the weekend and announced his commitment on his Twitter account Sunday. He originally grew up in Virginia before moving to Alabama. Jones was offered by Minnesota, Memphis, Charlotte, UAB, Army, Western Kentucky and others.
He originally committed to Illinois on Nov. 8 last year, but decommitted after making his official visit to the Big Ten school on Dec. 10. Virginia defensive assistant coach Clint Sintim offered Jones after the decommitment.
Those two players join three others that have committed to UVA since the season ended: Jack Camper, a 6-5, 250, defensive end who transferred from Michigan State (played in 27 games for the Spartans); Devin Chandler, a wide receiver, who transferred from Wisconsin; and high schooler Houston Curry, a 6-7, 265 offensive tackle from Simpsonville, S.C. (also offered by Washington State, Richmond, Western Carolina and VMI).
Women’s Basketball: Virginia falls 57-48 at No. 21 Duke
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
The Virginia women’s basketball team (3-13, 0-6 ACC) suffered a 57-48 loss at No. 21 Duke (13-4, 4-3 ACC) on Sunday (Jan. 23) at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C.
The Cavaliers cut a once 18-point deficit to five points late in the fourth quarter, but could not complete the comeback.
Sophomore guard Kaydan Lawson led the Cavaliers with 10 points. Grad student center Eleah Parker had 10 rebounds.
Shayeann Day-Wilson led Duke with 13 points.
Duke started the game making five of its first seven field goal attempts, pulling out to a 10-3 lead. The Cavalier defense then clamped down, holding the Blue Devils scoreless for a 4:40 span, but went into the second quarter trailing 14-5. In the second quarter, seven points from grad student guard McKenna Dale helped the Cavaliers narrow the gap to 23-17 with 2:27 remaining in the half, but Duke closed out the period on an 11-1 run, with a three-pointer from Jiselle Havas with 1.2 seconds left on the clock putting Duke ahead 34-18 at the break.
Junior guard Taylor Valladay scored the first points of the third quarter for either teams 3:46 into the frame. Lawson followed with another jumper, making the score 34-22 with 5:40 left in the period. The Blue Devils halted their scoring drought with a three-pointer from Nyah Green at the 5:04 mark. The Blue Devils went into the fourth quarter with a 46-29 lead.
The Cavaliers rallied in the fourth. Lawson, junior guard Carole Miller and junior forward London Clarkson each hit a jumper to start the quarter on a 6-2 run. The Cavaliers got six-straight points on another jumper from Lawson and back-to-back scores from grad student guard Amandine Toi to cut the gap to single digits, 50-41, with 5:45 remaining. A Valladay layup followed by another score from Lawson cut the gap to five, 50-45, with 2:33 remaining. Duke made just its third basket of the quarter, a jumper from Day-Wilson with 46.2 seconds left in the game to halt the Cavalier run. Duke went 5-of-8 from the free throw line in the final 25 seconds of the game while the Cavaliers missed their final four shots of the game.
UVA coach Tina Thompson
“I am a little disappointed in our first quarter. You know, we just didn’t start strong. It’s almost like we weren’t ready to play. In this league, it’s very competitive, and it’s really difficult to dig yourself out of holes especially that deep against a talented team. So the first quarter definitely did us in.”
“We’re kind of trending with almost comebacks, and that’s definitely not the team that we want to be. We’re having lapses in quarters and we’re digging ourselves a hole. Again, the ACC is a competitive conference. There’s not one gimme game. You have to show up ready to play each contest. So we have to do a better job of knowing when things are not going our way, reacting a lot quicker and not letting them spiral out of control.”
Notes
- Duke’s largest lead was 44-26 with 1:24 remaining in the third quarter
- Virginia shot 35.0 percent (21-of-60); Duke went 22-of-46 (47.8 percent)
- Virginia was 2-of-15 (13.3 percent) from the floor in the first quarter and 9-of-16 (56.3 percent) in the fourth
- Duke held a 36-33 edge in rebounding
- Virginia was 3-of-17 from three-point range (17.6 percent) while Duke was 3-of-14 (21.4 percent)
- Kaydan Lawson’s 10-point game was her fourth time finishing in double figures this season
- Eleah Parker’s 11 rebounds was her second double-digit rebounding game of the year
- McKenna Dale set a new season high for points with seven, all scored in the second quarter. Her previous best was six this season
- This was Virginia’s third game of the week
- Virginia was scheduled to host No. 19 Notre Dame on Tuesday (Jan. 25), but the ACC announced on Saturday that game has been postponed. The new date is TBD
Next up
- The Cavaliers return home to host Virginia Tech on Thursday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. in the second half of the Smithfield Commonwealth Clash
Men’s Tennis: No. 7 Virginia downs No. 20 Harvard, 6-1
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
The No. 7 Virginia men’s tennis team (3-0) picked up its first win of the season against a top-20 team with a 6-1 victory against No. 20 Harvard (2-1) on Sunday at the Boar’s Head Sports Club.
The Cavaliers won the doubles point and took the first four singles matches in straight sets to take a 5-0 lead. Sophomore Chris Rodesch battled for a three-set victory on court two to give UVA a 6-0 lead. Harvard picked up its point by winning a three-hour battle on court three for the final 6-1 score.
The Cavaliers won on doubles courts two and three to clinch the point. In singles, sophomore Jeffrey von der Schulenburg cruised to a quick 6-1, 6-1 win on court four, followed minutes later by senior Ryan Goetz closing out a 6-2, 6-1 win on court five. Sophomore Iñaki Montes picked up the highest-ranked win of his career while playing on court one where he topped No. 17 Henry von der Schulenburg 6-2, 6-3, to clinch the win for the Cavaliers. Grad student Jackson Allen followed with a 6-3, 6-1 win on court six to make it 5-0 Cavaliers.
MATCH NOTES
- Harvard’s Henry von der Schulenburg is the older brother of Cavalier sophomore Jeffrey von der Schulenburg
ON THE HORIZON
- The Cavaliers host ITA Kickoff Weekend matches next weekend with Ball State, Georgia Tech and MTSU vying for a spot at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships being held Feb. 18-21 in Seattle, Wash.
- Georgia Tech and MTSU will play at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 29. Virginia will face Ball State at noon. The winners will meet at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 30 with the consolation match scheduled for 10 a.m. that morning
#7 Virginia 6, #20 Harvard 1
Singles competition
- #52 Inaki Montes (VA) def. #17 Henry vd Schulenburg (HARVARD) 6-2, 6-3
- #13 Chris Rodesch (VA) def. #108 Harris Walker (HARVARD) 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4
- #57 Brian Shi (HARVARD) def. #71 Bar Botzer (VA) 5-7, 7-5, 6-3
- #66 J vd Schulenburg (VA) def. Ronan Jachuck (HARVARD) 6-1, 6-1
- 5.#27 Ryan Goetz (VA) def. Steven Sun (HARVARD) 6-2, 6-1
- Jackson Allen (VA) def. David Lins (HARVARD) 6-3, 6-1
Doubles competition
- #11 Daniel Milavsky/Brian Shi (HARVARD) def. Chris Rodesch/William Woodall (VA) 7-5
- Inaki Montes/Ryan Goetz (VA) def. Harris Walker/Ronan Jachuck (HARVARD) 6-4
- Bar Botzer/J vd Schulenburg (VA) def. Steven Sun/David Lins (HARVARD) 6-3
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (5,4,1,6,3)
A-248 T:3:45
Virginia battles Louisville on Big Monday
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Virginia (11-8, 5-4 ACC) hosts Louisville (11-8, 5-4 ACC) in an ACC Big Monday contest on Monday, Jan. 24. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN.
For Openers
- Virginia (11-8, 5-4 ACC) meets Louisville (11-8, 5-4 ACC) in the first of two meetings in 2021-22.
- Virginia and Louisville are tied for seventh in the ACC at 5-4.
- The Virginia coaching staff will wear pullovers and sneakers in support of The American Cancer Society’s Coaches vs. Cancer – Suits And Sneakers Week (Jan. 24-30).
- The nationwide event unites basketball coaches, players and communities representing college and high school programs for a common cause – saving lives from cancer.
Broadcast Information
- The Virginia-NC State game will be televised on ESPN and streamed online at WatchESPN.com and ESPN App.
- The game will also be broadcast on Virginia Sports Radio Network, VirginiaSports.com and Virginia Sports app.
- Live statistics will be available on VirginiaSports.com and Virginia Sports app.
The Head Coach
- Dean and Markel Families Head Men’s Basketball Coach Tony Bennett has a 306-111 (.734) mark in 13 seasons at UVA and 375-144 (.723) career mark in 16 seasons as a head coach.
- Bennett won his 300th game at Virginia with the 61-43 victory against Lehigh on Nov. 26, 2021.
- The three-time National (2007, 2015 and 2018) and four-time ACC Coach of the Year (2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019) guided the Cavaliers to their 10th ACC regular-season championship in 2020-21.
- In 2018-19, Bennett led the Cavaliers to their first NCAA national championship, a share of their ninth ACC regular-season title and a school-record 35 wins.
- Bennett has led UVA to 10 consecutive postseason appearances (2012-21) and seven consecutive NCAA tournaments (2014-21).
- UVA is 154-66 (.700) in ACC play (86-23 at home & 68-43 away), 173-34 (.836) at home and 152-45 (.772) in non-conference action (86-9 at JPJ) under Bennett.
- Bennett ranks third all-time in winning percentage (.700) among ACC head coaches with 100 or more ACC wins.
Hoo Are These Cavaliers?
- The Cavaliers play defense, take good shots, share and take care of the basketball, rebound, and play more defense.
- UVA is led by its returning backcourt of Kihei Clark (8.9 ppg & 4.1 apg) and Reece Beekman (8.3 ppg, 4.6 apg, 3.6 rpg & 2.3 spg), and the additions of transfers Jayden Gardner (13.9 ppg & 6.8 rpg) and Armaan Franklin (12.3 ppg).
- The Cavaliers added transfers Gardner (East Carolina) and Franklin (Indiana) to fill the void left by standouts Sam Hauser (16 ppg), Jay Huff (13 ppg) and Trey Murphy III (11.3 ppg).
- Gardner averaged 18.5 points and 8.9 rebounds in 79 career games at East Carolina, while Franklin averaged 11.4 points and shot 42.5 percent from 3-point range in 2020-21.
- Kadin Shedrick (6.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg & 2.7 bpg) and Francisco Caffaro (3.9 ppg & 3.8 rpg) anchor the paint. Shedrick started the first 16 games, while Caffaro has started the last three contests.
- Kody Stattmann (39.4% 3FGs), Taine Murray (38.1% 3FGs), Igor Miliĉić Jr. (36.4% 3FGs) and Carson McCorkle (33.3% 3FGs) provide perimeter shooting off the bench.
Virginia All-Time vs. Louisville
- Virginia is 17-5 all-time vs. Louisville in a series that began in 1923-24.
- The Cavaliers earned their 10th ACC regular-season title with a 68-58 win at Louisville in the lone meeting last season.
- UVA has a two-game winning streak vs. Louisville and has won 11 of the last 12 meetings.
- UVA is 11-2 vs. the Cardinals in ACC action.
- UVA has held Louisville to 59 or fewer points in 10 of 14 contests since the Cardinals joined the ACC in 2014-15.
- Tony Bennett is 12-2 vs. Louisville as head coach at Virginia.
Last Time vs. The Cardinals
- Sam Hauser had 24 points as then-No. 21 Virginia (17-6, 13-4 ACC) defeated Louisville (13-6, 8-5 ACC) 68-58 for its 10th ACC regular-season title on March 6.
- Hauser scored 14 of his season-high 24 points in the second half as UVA improved to 7-2 all-time at KFC Yum! Center.
- Trey Murphy III added 17 points and Jay Huff chipped in 10 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots.
- UVA held Carlik Jones to six points on 2 of 15 shooting.
- UVA shot 51.8 percent and made 11 of 11 free throws
- UVA outrebounded the Cardinals 34-30 and committed just five turnovers in the victory.
Last Time Out
- Jericole Hellems scored 21 points and Tarquavion Smith added 20 as NC State downed Virginia 77-63 on Jan. 22 at PNC Arena.
- The Wolfpack shot 60 percent and drilled 12 3-pointers, including nine from Hellems (5) and Smith (4).
- Armaan Franklin led the Cavaliers (11-8, 5-4 ACC) with 14 points, while Jayden Gardner added 13 points and Reece Beekman chipped in 12 points.
- The loss ended UVA’s 11-game winning streak at PNC Arena
- NC State’s 77 points were its most vs. UVA since scoring 79 in the ACC Tournament on March 9, 2007
- Former Cavalier Casey Morsell added 10 points for NC State.
On The Horizon
- Virginia travels to Notre Dame in an ACC contest on Saturday, Jan. 29. Tipoff at Purcell Pavilion is set for 6 p.m. on ACC Network.
Virginia Swimming & Diving splits with NC State
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
The No. 18/1 Virginia men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams split in Saturday’s dual meet against 3/5 NC State at the Aquatic and Fitness Center.
UVA’s women (6-0) won 173-122, while the men (2-4) fell 104-191. The Cavaliers finished with 17 event wins, with the women taking 13 of those. Virginia had four pool records go down on Saturday. Five Virginia women recorded two individual wins and Noah Nichols led the UVA men with two wins.
WOMEN’S RESULTS
- UVA opened the meet with a pool record swim of 1:33.74 to win the 200-yard medley relay. Gretchen Walsh, Alexis Wenger, Alex Walsh and Kate Douglass improved on their pool record set against Texas in the fall and the fastest time in the NCAA this season.
- Gretchen Walsh’s 50 backstroke leadoff leg (23.04) was the fastest ever by a US swimmer.
- Emma Weyant won the 500-yard and 1000-yard freestyle, with Maddie Donohoe finishing second in both distance events.
- Ella Nelson won the 200-yard freestyle in a season-best time of 1:47.15 and the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:08.94.
- Gretchen Walsh won the 100-yard backstroke and 100-yard freestyle.
- Kate Douglass swam a UVA pool record time of 51.30 to win the 100-yard butterfly. Douglass also took the win in the 50-yard freestyle (21.85).
- Alex Walsh followed that up with a pool record swim of 1:56.35 to win the 200-yard IM. Walsh also won the 200-yard butterfly (1:54.76).
MEN’S RESULTS
- UVA’s men closed out the dual with a huge win and a UVA pool record swim in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Matt Brownstead, Matt King, Justin Grender and August Lamb, respectively, finished first in 1:17.83 to set the new pool record.
- The Cavalier men’s relay of Matt Brownstead, Noah Nichols, Max Edwards and Matt King, respectively, combined for a 1:25.72 to finish third in the 200-yard medley relay. It was the fastest time of the season for UVA in the event.
- Noah Nichols swept the breaststroke events for the second day straight. He won the 100-yard breast in 53.26 and the 200-yard breast in 1:56.68. Casey Storch took second in the 200-yard breast in 1:58.42.
- Jack Wright finished third in the 200-yard freestyle in 1:37.15.
- Grender finished second in the 200-yard backstroke (1:44.02) and third in the 200-yard butterfly (1:46.49).
- Brownstead and King went two-three in the 50-yard freestyle and King added a third-place finish in the 100-yard free.
- Casey Storch and Sean Conway were first and second, respectively, in the 200-yard IM. Storch clocked in with a 1:47.37 and Conway finished in 1:48.48.
DIVING
- Lizzy Kaye won the 1-meter board with a score of 279.90.
- Maddy Grosz won the 3-meter board with a season-high and NCAA Zone qualifying score of 308.93.
- Walker Creedon finished second on the men’s 3-meter with a score of 334.50 and second on the 1-meter (316.88).
FROM TODD DESORBO
“It was a great weekend of racing at home to honor our fourth years in their last ever home dual meets. They have been such great leaders for us and have meant so much to our program and put so much into it. Happy to honor them and let them have an enjoyable weekend and they performed really well on top of that.”
“To start the day we had some great diving. I have to mention Maddy Grosz, who had her first dual meet win and a career-best and NCAA Zone score. She’s really been coming around the last few weeks, so excited to see her continue to develop.
“On the swimming side, it was an unbelievable competition and unbelievable environment. NC State is one of the best teams in the country on the men’s and women’s side so any opportunity to race that level of competition is fantastic. I think our programs elevate each other and our teams swam better than they have all season. That is our goal, the last dual meet of the season to be our best dual meet and use that to catapult the rest of the season as we go to ACCs and NCAAs.”
UP NEXT
Virginia will host the Cavalier Invite February 4-6 at the Aquatic and Fitness Center.
Virginia’s distance teams dominate at Hokie Invitational
The Virginia men’s and women’s track and field teams wrapped up competition at the Hokie Invitational at Rector Field House in Blacksburg on Saturday. The final day of competition featured an impressive performance from the Cavalier distance runners.
In the women’s distance medley relay, a pair of Cavalier squads placed first and third in the event. In their first-place finish, Mia Barnett, Keara Seasholtz, Claire Frazier Bolton and Margot Appleton recorded the second-best time in Virginia history (11:13.70). Ellie Desmond, Alahna Sabbakhan, Sydney Coppolino and Helena Lindsay comprised Virginia’s third-place team (11:51.33).
In the men’s distance medley relay Virginia’s three teams claimed first, second and third amongst a field of seven entries. Virginia’s first-place team (Sado, Trent, Bellamy, Porter) recorded a time of 9:48.78. Following in second-place was another band of Wahoos (Kruse, Davis, Murphy, Asfaw) at 9:50.06. The final quartet of Cavaliers (Mountain, Wilson, Baginski, Hunter) claimed third place at 9:50.35.
Maria Deaviz placed second in the shot put amongst a field of 15 competitors. With a personal best mark of 16.42m (53’10.5”), Deaviz now ranks third all-time on Virginia’s indoor performance list as she jumps Brittany Jones’ mark of 16.27m (53’4.5”) achieved in 2020.
Notes
- In the women’s long jump, Jada Seaman finished third. Her mark of 6.02m (19’9”) is her best performance of the season so far
- Joradan Willis placed second in the 400m dash (47.34). His time is the best of any Cavalier this season. Jay Pendarvis finished eighth in the event (49.16)
- For the second consecutive weekend, Bex Hawkins matched her personal best mark in the high jump at 1.76m (5’9.25”). Hawkins placed second in the event
- Claudio Romero placed third in the men’s shot put (18.29m / 60’0.25”). His mark is the best of any Cavalier this season
Director of Track and Field Vin Lananna:
“Our goal for the program is to have a well-rounded, highly-competitive team at both the conference and national level. I think we as a team took a step toward accomplishing that this weekend”
Up Next
The Cavaliers will travel back to Blacksburg for the third time this season on Friday, Feb. 4 for the VT Elite Meet.
Hot-shooting Wolfpack clobbers Virginia, 77-63
By Scott Ratcliffe
The nets were scorching Saturday in Raleigh, as NC State used the long ball early and often to hammer Virginia, 77-63. The Cavaliers (11-8, 5-4 ACC) dropped their fourth road contest of the season and missed an opportunity to sit just a half-game out of first place in the conference standings.
The Wolfpack (10-10, 3-6) didn’t get a ton of production from sophomore star guard Dereon Seabron, who came into the game ranked third in the ACC in scoring at just under 20 points a game.
It turns out they didn’t necessarily need Seabron’s usual scoring output, as State freshman sharpshooter Terquavion Smith and senior forward Jericole Hellems — each who averaged 14 a game themselves — picked up the slack, predominantly from long range.
Those two combined for 41 points and hit nine of State’s 12 3-pointers, as Virginia’s 11-game win streak at PNC Arena came to an end. Virginia had taken 13 of the last 14 regular-season meetings against the Wolfpack, including seven in a row in Raleigh.
It was a long day for Tony Bennett’s Cavaliers, however, who missed 10 of their first 14 shots of the second half after already trailing by double digits at halftime.
State made 10 of its last 12 shots of the opening 20 minutes and ended the half on a 25-6 run, and then scored 10 of the first 13 points to start the second half and build an 18-point lead, 53-35, by the under-16 timeout, and from there, it was all Wolfpack.
UVA finished the afternoon shooting 42 percent (23 of 55) and 59 percent from 3-point land (10 of 17), winning the rebounding battle, 28-25.
Armaan Franklin led the Hoos with 14 points and a team-high 4 triples in the losing effort. Jayden Gardner had 13 points and Reece Beekman added 12, with Kadin Shedrick and Kody Stattmann each chipping in with 8 apiece.
The Wolfpack led by as many as 21 and shot 60 percent (30 for 50) on the day, including 55 percent (12 for 22) from long distance, and held a 34-16 advantage in the paint. Hellems led all scorers with 21 points, while Smith poured in 20 and Seabron wound up with 13.
FIRST HALF
UVA led 8-4 coming out of the game’s first media timeout before Smith caught fire from the perimeter, sinking three long balls as a 3-point shootout broke out.
The Cavaliers countered with a pair of triples each from Franklin and Kihei Clark and got 8 early points from Gardner to lead 24-18 by the 9:29 mark, as the Hoos connected on 10 of their first 14 shots from the field.
State turned up the pressure defensively and scored 11 unanswered — including a pokeaway steal and score by former Wahoo Casey Morsell, who finished with 12 points against his former team — as Virginia hit a cold spurt, missing five in a row until Franklin knotted it up with his third 3-pointer of the half.
Hellems answered with his third from downtown, as the Wolfpack held a 32-29 edge with 3:55 left. Smith knocked down his fourth triple, then Hellems followed, capping another 11-0 run to stretch the State lead to double digits, 40-29, with two minutes to go. As Bennett pointed out afterwards, several of State’s threes were well contested, but several could have been defended much better.
“Some of their shots were really tough, contested fallaways, and they hit ’em,” said the coach, “but then when they hit a couple of those, there was too many in that first half where, okay, we knew that and we gave them a little too much space. I mean, press up into them, make them put it on the floor, make the shot even harder.”
Gardner stopped the onslaught with a three-point play with 22 seconds showing, but Hellems drained a step-back 3, his fifth, to beat the buzzer, and the Hoos trailed, 43-32, at the break, despite shooting 50 percent overall (13 for 26) and an eye-popping 71 percent (5 for 7) from downtown.
The Wolfpack shot a blazing 65 percent (17 of 26) in the half, converting on 9 of 14 (64 percent) from beyond the arc.
Beekman did a solid job defensively on Seabron, limiting him to 4 points on 2-of-2 shooting in the half, but Smith and Hellems combined for 31 points and all the damage from 3-point land.
Team Notes
- Virginia fell to 11-8, 5-4 ACC
- UVA is 3-4 on the road
- The loss ended UVA’s 11-game winning streak at PNC Arena
- NC State’s 77 points were its most vs. UVA since scoring 79 in the ACC Tournament on March 9, 2007
- NC State 12 3-pointers marked a season high vs. Virginia
- NC State’s nine first half 3-pointers were most in any half vs. UVA this season
- NC State’s 60 percent field goal shooting marked a season high vs. Virginia
- NC State’s 43 first-half points were second most against UVA in any half
- UVA led 26-18 before NC State went on an 11-0 run to gain a 29-26 lead
- NC State shot 65.4% in the first half marking a season high vs. UVA
- NC State’s largest lead was 21 points (72-51 at 6:19)
- UVA forced one shot clock violation (21 in 2021-22)
- UVA shot a season-high 58.8 percent from 3-point range (10 of 17)
- UVA’s 10 3-pointers marked a season high
Series Notes
- Virginia is 68-84 all-time vs. NC State in the series that dates back to 1912-13
- The loss ended UVA’s seven-game road winning streak in the series
- Tony Bennett is 14-4 vs. NC State as head coach at Virginia.
Player Notes
- Double Figure Scorers: Armaan Franklin (14), Jayden Gardner (13), Reece Beekman (12)
- Gardner reached double figures for the 14th time (88th career)
- Franklin reached double figures for the 13th time (27th career)
- Beekman reached double figures for the seventh time (10th career)
- ACC steals leader Reece Beekman had three steals
- Beekman has a nine-game steal streak
- Kadin Shedrick (3 blocks) had his 15th multi-block game
- Shedrick’s 51 blocks rank 10th on UVA’s single-season blocks list
- Shedrick has three or more blocks in 10 games
- Shedrick has an eight-game block streak
- Shedrick has at least one block in 18 of 19 games
- Kody Stattmann matched a career best with a pair of 3-pointers
UP NEXT
The Hoos are back at it Monday night at JPJ against Louisville, with a 7-p.m. tipoff (ESPN). Beekman said the Hoos, which haven’t lost back-to-back games all season, will be ready for the Cardinals.
“When we do have lapses like this,” said Beekman, “we come back and we fix ’em, and I think we’ll end up being more prepared, so when we look at film we’ll see the mistakes we made, and just ways we can fix it and be ready for Louisville.”