Cavaliers rally, but can’t complete comeback in 75-74 loss to Iowa

By Scott Ratcliffe

Photo: UVA Athletics

Virginia erased a 21-point deficit and nearly completed one of the greatest comebacks in Wahoo basketball history Monday night at John Paul Jones Arena, but visiting Iowa hung on to remain unbeaten, escaping with a 75-74 win on the first night of the 23rd annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

After trailing by as many as 21 points in the first half, the Cavaliers (5-3) grabbed a one-point edge with less than a minute to play, their first lead since the game’s opening minute, but the Hawkeyes (7-0) scored in the closing seconds to snap Virginia’s four-game winning streak.

UVA first-year sharpshooter Taine Murray, who had just one made field goal on the season, sank his third 3-pointer of the night to pull Virginia within two, 70-68, with 2:21 to go, and then blew the roof off with his fourth less than a minute later, giving the Wahoos their first lead since it was 2-0.

Iowa’s Jordan Bohannon responded with a triple with 1:15 to play before Kihei Clark put the Cavaliers back ahead with a 3-ball with 45 seconds to go, 74-73.

As the clock went under 10 seconds, Iowa guard Joe Toussaint pulled up and put in the game-winning basket off the window with 8.4 ticks showing.

Clark’s ensuing driving shot in the waning seconds bounced off the rim, as Kadin Shedrick’s scrambling, last-gasp putback attempt was swatted away as the final horn sounded.

A Jayden Gardner 3-pointer cut Iowa’s lead to 10, 46-36, three minutes into the second. It was the big man’s first 3-point try of the season, but he wasn’t done.

Iowa answered with a triple to quiet the crowd, but Gardner came right back down and sank another long ball of his own — he scored 8 straight points for the Hoos — to pump the Wahoo fans back up.

Reece Beekman completed an old-fashioned, three-point play on the next trip down to get it back within single digits, 51-42, with 15:25 to play.

Taine Murray nailed his second 3 of the night to stop a 7-2 Hawkeye run, cutting it to 11 with just over 12 minutes remaining. Clark then put in a 3 of his own before a Shedrick two-hand jam pulled the Hoos within six, 58-52, and Iowa coach Fran McCaffrey had to call a timeout as Virginia was as close as it had been since the 7-minute mark of the first half.

Shedrick, the ACC’s leading shot-blocker who battled with foul trouble for much of the first half, sent away an Iowa shot to further electrify the JPJ fans out of the break, then split a pair of free throws on the other end to make it a five-point game.

A Gardner stickback cut it to 64-59 with 6:22 left, then after an Iowa turnover, Shedrick made it a one-possession game on an alley-oop flush from Clark with over five minutes to play, but the Hawkeyes answered with a pair of baskets to take a 68-61 advantage into the final TV timeout.

Virginia shot 53 percent on the night (30 of 57), with much of that production again coming in the second half (17 for 27; 63 percent after halftime). The Hoos were 7 for 9 (78 percent) from downtown in the second half, and 50 percent (9 for 18) for the game.

Gardner led the Cavaliers with 18 points and 8 rebounds, while Clark added 15 (three 3s) and 5 assists in the losing effort.

Taine Murray set a career high with 14 points (5 for 7 FG; 4 for 6 from long range) in his 21 minutes off the bench.

“He’s a tough Kiwi,” Tony Bennett said of the freshman’s breakout performance. “Jack Salt would have been proud of him tonight.”

Beekman scored in double figures for a second-straight contest, finishing with 11 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds. Shedrick added 9 points, 6 boards and a block in 24 minutes. No Cavalier registered a steal on the evening. UVA only committed 5 turnovers, but was outlasted on the boards, 30-29.

Iowa was 30 of 56 from the field (54 percent), 10 of 21 (48 percent) from 3-point land. Bohannon, who made good on 6 of his 9 tries from downtown, led all scorers with 20 points. Keegan Murray, the country’s leading scorer, added 18 points and a game-high 9 rebounds. Toussaint finished with 10 points, none more important than the final two.

FIRST HALF

The Hawkeyes connected on 5 of their first 6 shots and built an early 14-6 lead with 14:30 to go. UVA was just 2 for its first 8 during the opening stretch, but Franklin, Beekman and Clark all scored in the paint over a two-minute span — an encouraging development — to keep the Hoos within striking distance, 18-14, with 11:12 remaining in the half.

The Cavaliers misfired on their first five attempts from downtown until Taine Murray sank one from the corner to briefly trim Iowa’s lead to 25-19. The Hawkeyes scored eight unanswered in just over a minute to cap a 15-5 run and extend it to a 14-point game, causing Bennett to call a timeout with 5:33 on the clock.

The bleeding continued, however, as Bohannon drilled a 3-pointer before a Keegan Murray dunk off of a Virginia turnover made it 40-19.

Clark’s triple with 3:14 to go finally snapped a near-four-minute Cavalier scoring drought, as Iowa scored 15 in a row and took control of the contest. Beekman beat the buzzer and scored off the glass to complete a late 6-0 Wahoo spurt, but it only cut Virginia’s halftime deficit to 14 points, 44-30.

The Hawkeyes, who scored more in the first half Monday than Lehigh registered against the Cavaliers (43) in 40 minutes Friday, were simply on fire. The 44 first-half points were the most allowed by a Bennett-coached Virginia team at JPJ in his 13 seasons.

Iowa made 17 of its 30 attempts from the field (57 percent) in the first half, including 5 of 11 (45 percent) from long range. UVA, meanwhile, shot 13 for 30 (43 percent) and just 2 of 9 (22 percent) from beyond the arc.

Box Score

UP NEXT

Virginia begins ACC play Friday night, as Pittsburgh comes to town for an 8-p.m. tipoff (ACC Network).

Team Notes

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

• Virginia (5-3) lost for just the 11th time under Tony Bennett when scoring 70 or more points (137-11)
• UVA is 151-44 in nonconference action under Bennett (84-9 at JPJ)
• Iowa shot 56.7 percent en route to a 44-30 halftime lead
• UVA went on an 8-0 run in the second half
• UVA shot a season-high 52.6 percent from the field
• The Cavaliers tied a season low with five made free throws
• UVA tied a season high with nine 3-pointers (7 in the second half)
• The 44 first-half points by the Hawkeyes marked a season-high vs. UVA
• UVA committed just five turnovers
• UVA’s allowed a season-high 53.6 percent field goal shooting by the Hawkeyes
• The Cavaliers have allowed 10 or more 3-pointers in each of their three losses

Series Notes

• Virginia is 2-2 all-time against Iowa in the series that dates back to the 1996-97 season
• The Cavaliers and Hawkeyes met for the first time in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge

UVA in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge

• Virginia has a 13-8 record in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge
• UVA is 8-4 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge under Bennett
• Virginia is 7-3 all-time at home in the Challenge

Player Notes

• Double Figure Scorers: Jayden Gardner (18), Kihei Clark (15), Taine Murray (14), Reece Beekman (11)
• Murray had a career-high 14 points on 5 of 8 field goals (4 of 6 3-pointers)
• Murray’s fourth 3-pointer at 1:36 of the second half gave UVA its first lead since scoring the first basket of the game at 19:08
• Gardner went 2 of 2 from 3-point range, his first 3-pointers at UVA (11 career)
• Clark made a season-high three 3-pointers and has a 10-game 3-point streak dating back to last season
• Beekman had a season-high 11 points

Virginia battles Iowa in Big Ten/ACC Challenge

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Photo courtesy UVA Athletics.

Virginia (5-2) hosts Iowa (6-0) in a Big Ten/ACC Challenge contest on Monday. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN2.

For Openers

• The Cavaliers and Hawkeyes meet for the first time in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge and fourth overall.
• UVA is 151-43 (.778) in nonconference action under Bennett.
• UVA’s Reece Beekman ranks fourth nationally with 20 steals, while Kadin Shedrick ranks fifth nationally with 23 blocks.
• UVA has limited its opponents to 47.5 ppg, 31.7 percent field goal shooting and 19.4 percent 3-point shooting during its season-high four-game winning streak.

Broadcast Information

• The Virginia-Iowa game will be televised on ESPN2, 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 located on VirginiaSports.com and the Virginia Sports app.

The Head Coach

• Dean and Markel Families Head Men’s Basketball Coach Tony Bennett has a 300-105 (.741) mark in 13 seasons at Virginia and 369-138 (.729) 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).

Hoo Are These Cavaliers?

• UVA is led by its returning backcourt of Kihei Clark (10.3 ppg & 3.9 apg) and Reece Beekman (6.7 ppg, 4.3 apg & 2.9 spg), and the additions of transfers Jayden Gardner (13.4 ppg, 8.3 rpg) and Armaan Franklin (13 ppg).
• Clark has played 100 games at UVA and was an All-ACC honorable mention selection last season, while Beekman had a team-high 30 steals and was second with 75 assists.
• 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 for the Hoosiers in 2020-21.
• Kadin Shedrick (6.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3.3 bpg) and Francisco Caffaro (4.7 rpg) anchor the paint, while Kody Stattmann, Carson McCorkle, Taine Murray, Igor Miliĉić Jr. and Malachi Poindexter provide perimeter depth.

Virginia All-Time In The Big Ten/Acc Challenge

• UVA has a 13-7 record in the Challenge.
• UVA’s five-game winning streak in the Challenge ended at Purdue in 2020.
• The Cavaliers have won eight of their last 10 Challenge games and Virginia is 7-2 all-time at home in the event.
• Virginia’s 2020 Challenge contest vs. Michigan State was postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the Cavaliers’ program.

All-Time vs. Iowa

• Virginia is 1-2 all-time against Iowa in the series that dates back to the 1996-97 season.
• The Cavaliers meet the Hawkeyes for the first time since posting a 74-41 win in the semifinals of the Emerald Coast Classic in Niceville, Fla., on Nov. 25, 2016.
• Iowa defeated recorded a 75-64 win over the Cavaliers in the quarterfinals of the 2013 NIT at John Paul Jones Arena.
• Iowa defeated Virginia 73-60 in the first round of the 1997 NCAA Tournament in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Last Time vs. the Hawkeyes

• Jarred Reuter scored 14 points and added nine rebounds as then-No. 7 Virginia defeated Iowa 74-41 in the first game of the 2016 Emerald Coast Classic.
• London Perrantes (12), current graduate assistant Isaiah Wilkins (11) and Darius Thompson (10) also landed in double figures as UVA scored 19 points off 18 Iowa turnovers.
• UVA dominated the paint, outscoring the Hawkeyes 32-12.
• The Cavaliers shot 48.3 percent and made eight 3-pointers.
• Peter Jok led Iowa with 13 points.

Last Time Out

• Reece Beekman tallied 11 points and four steals and Kihei Clark added 10 points as Virginia defeated Lehigh 61-43 on Nov. 26.
• UVA went on a 14-2 run and shot 59.3 percent in the second half to gain the win.
• The Cavaliers limited the Mountain Hawks to 35.3 percent shooting, including 18.8 percent (3 of 16) from 3-point range.
• UVA outrebounded Lehigh 35-32 and scored 19 points off 15 Lehigh turnovers.

On The Horizon

• Virginia hosts Pitt in its ACC opener on Friday, Dec. 3. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 8 p.m. on ACC Network.

Bennett was last to know that he joined Holland with 300 UVA wins

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Tony Bennett has always admired Terry Holland, Virginia’s all-time winningest men’s basketball coach who retired in 1990. So when Bennett was told Friday night that he joined Holland as the only two coaches in program history to win 300 games, he was blown away.

Number 300 came with a 61-43 win over visiting Lehigh after the Cavaliers broke away from a 25-21 lead at the break and cruised to their fourth straight win after starting the season 1-2.

Bennett didn’t know until his new radio play-by-play man John Freeman told him that a win would give him his 300th win. The UVA coach thought he had already posted No. 300 against Marshall some time back, until Freeman clarified it would be Bennett’s 300th at UVA only. He has 369 wins over his entire coaching career.

“It’s my 13th year (in Charlottesville) and I didn’t even know that I joined Coach Holland,” Bennett said. “Coach Holland is a legend and I love that man and what he’s done for this institution. I don’t even know how many he’s won, I’m sure it’s a ton.”

Holland, who sat courtside with wife, Ann, to observe Bennett’s milestone, compiled a record of 326-173 from 1974-90 at Virginia.

300 isn’t the only thing the two legends have in common. They both built their winning programs with defense, rebounding and taking care of the basketball.

Bennett has 369 career wins as coach at Virginia and Washington State, but he ranks high in ACC annals for his achievements while in Charlottesville. He was the fourth-fastest coach in ACC history to reach 200 wins behind only Duke’s Vic Bubas, Carolina’s Dean Smith, and Holland. He was the second-fastest coach in ACC history to No. 250, behind only Roy Williams.

Bennett shares a great distinction with two of the storied league’s most treasured names. Last season, Bennett joined Mike Krzyzewski and Smith as the only three coaches in ACC history to post 10 consecutive winning conference seasons.

Yeah, he’s a three-time National Coach of the Year, but you’ll never hear Bennett mutter anything about it. He’s a humble guy who leans on the Five Pillars introduced to him as a younger man under his coach/father Dick Bennett up in the frozen tundra of Wisconsin.

Other coaches, like Lehigh’s Brett Reed, will tell you what it means to their profession to have a guy like Tony Bennett to be one of the faces of their sport.

When mention of Bennett’s 300th win as the Cavaliers coach popped up during Reed’s postgame media chat, the Mountain Hawks coach found a little victim humor in the moment.

“I’d rather have him get against somebody else,” Reed cracked.

“But he’s a high-character, high-class individual. I couldn’t be any more happier for him. I think it’s good for the game of college basketball to have somebody who has a lot of personal integrity and values that he seems to demonstrate, that his teams seem to embody. I think college basketball can celebrate somebody as good as he is to have success on the court.”

Bennett, in his aw-shucks style, credited his past and present players and coaching staffs. An avid reader, he mentioned a book in which the main character always had a stock answer for when people asked him how he was doing.

“The guy’s response was always, ‘Better than I deserve,’” Bennett said. “The chance to have been here as long as I have (13 years), and the things that have happened and transpired here are better than I deserve. I know that and I’m grateful for just being here and getting to coach.”

He brought the school its only national championship in 2019 and two of its three ACC Tournament titles.

The old coaches will tell you that sometimes they don’t remember all the wins, all the success, but rather the losses that eat at them long after they’ve retired. They still sting.

Bennett had an interesting observation about wins and losses and how he hopes to deal with those over time.

“I told our guys I’m hoping I’m becoming the coach that I always wanted to be, where losses don’t crush and destroy you and wins don’t consume you,” Bennett said.

“I challenged our guys, and it’s a challenge to me to coach them in the right way and celebrate when they’re giving an all-out effort, when their attitude is at their best, no matter their role, and their effort is at a high level.

“If they do that and I can celebrate that, well that’s the culture I want, because when they do that and we don’t have a good result, (and someone could say) ‘That’s not good enough,’ then you’re shaming them, and that doesn’t work.”

Bennett said he has been thinking about what it means to him as a coach — because he said he fails often to coach them and have them play with great joy and great freedom and a competitive spirit that’s undeniable — and not be consumed by outcome. That’s the coach he wants to become, and many would present a strong case that he already has become that coach.

“But to answer the question, what do I remember more (wins or losses)? You know probably the older you get, the losses, they kind of stay with you,” Bennett said. “You feel some of those more.”

Then he paused for a second, and realized that out of those 405 total games at Virginia, he had done pretty darn good.

“But I do have some pretty good memories of wins here,” he lit up the room with a smile. “The older I get when I’m done coaching, I’ll be like, ‘Hey, I didn’t lose any games. I’ll just remember all the wins.”

Number 300 will accumulate a lot of dust between now and when that day comes. There will be a lot more to celebrate.

Bennett wins No. 300 at UVA as Hoos roll past Lehigh, 61-43

By Scott Ratcliffe

Image: UVA Athletics

Virginia won its fourth game in a row Friday, as the Cavaliers kept the improved defensive effort rolling in a 61-43 beatdown of visiting Lehigh at John Paul Jones Arena.

The win marked Tony Bennett’s 300th victory as UVA head coach (300-105 at Virginia; 369-138 overall).

”Man, I’ve been here a long time,” Bennett joked after the milestone win.

To Bennett’s delight, the Cavaliers (5-2) did it with defense, registering 9 steals and 6 blocks on the night and scoring the first six points of the second half to establish their largest lead of the game up to that point, 31-21. UVA kept the Mountain Hawks (1-5) off the scoreboard for over three minutes out of the halftime break.

Reece Beekman drove to the hole and laid one in off the glass to make it 39-27 with 12:47 to play, as the Hoos connected on 9 of their first 12 shots of the second half.

Out of an ensuing Lehigh timeout, Beekman poked the ball loose and finished with a two-hand flush on the other end to energize the JPJ crowd. Virginia started the second half on a 20-6 run over the first 9½ minutes to take control, and the Wahoos poured it on from there.

During one stretch, Virginia made good on 12 of its 13 shots to extend the lead to 20, 49-29, halfway through the second half, coupled with another Lehigh scoring drought of nearly four minutes.

Igor Miličić Jr. got into the act with a 3-ball, and then Malachi Poindexter sank one of his own on the next trip down to extend the Cavalier lead to 27, 61-36, with 3:13 remaining.

Virginia shot 46 percent (26 for 57) on the evening, including a blistering 59 percent (16 for 27) after halftime. The Hoos were 4 for 10 from downtown and won the battle of the boards, 35-32.

Senior guard Kihei Clark led all scorers with 11 points while also dishing out a game-high 7 assists, while backcourt mate Beekman added a season-high 10 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, a block and 4 steals.

Beekman now has 20 steals on the season, an average of 2.86 per game, right at the top of the list among all ACC players. His defensive skills will continue to be a key component of UVA’s defensive success going forward.

“Some guys just have an innate ability,” Bennett said of Beekman’s defense, “it’s their anticipation, they can even steal a ball off a pass from their own guy. They can get it, or they see things, [Beekman] has that gift because that is a gift. You can’t teach that. Guys can be ultra-quick and all that, but there’s an anticipation.

“I definitely saw it a little bit before, but I didn’t know it was as good as what he’s shown. He showed it last year at times and in practice. I mean, he’s learning to use that like Kadin [Shedrick] is learning to use his shot blocking. Reece has that ability to just read situations, I guess anticipation is the best way to describe it, and it’s at a high level.”

Four other Cavaliers finished with 8 points — Jayden Gardner, Armaan Franklin, Shedrick and Francisco Caffaro. Gardner led the team with 8 rebounds, while Shedrick recorded 3 blocks.

No Lehigh players reached double-figures scoring, as Jeameril Wilson and Evan Taylor led the Mountain Hawks with 8 points each. Lehigh finished the contest shooting 35 percent from the field (18 for 51) and 19 percent from long range (3 for 16), committing 15 turnovers.

FIRST HALF

Virginia came out a little flat, misfiring on 5 of its first 6 shots of the night. Trailing by two, Gardner sank a baseline jumper, his second bucket, to tie the game at 13-all midway through the half.

Caffaro came in off the bench and delivered 6 points on his first four shot attempts, as his third basket of the night capped an 8-0 Wahoo run and gave Virginia a 17-13 edge with 8:20 left.

“I feel like my role has been what it has always been since I got here,” said Caffaro, affectionately known as Big Papi by his teammates. “Just provide physicality, get rebounds, just play hard and smart; try to make the smart play. Obviously if I get in the post I can get into a position to score so I try to do that when I have the chance.”

UVA then missed its next six straight field-goal attempts before Shedrick chased down a Kody Stattmann free-throw miss to keep a possession alive before throwing down an alley-oop jam on a perfectly delivered assist from Beekman.

Moments later, Clark scored off of a Lehigh turnover, putting the Hoos in front, 22-19, with just over two minutes until halftime, and then Beekman nailed a 3-pointer and UVA took a 25-21 lead into the locker room.

Neither team led by more than four points over the opening 20 minutes, as Lehigh was held without a field goal for nearly six minutes until a Taylor layup with 1:36 on the clock.

“Essentially, I felt like we were going toe-to-toe with Virginia and there was a formula for us to be successful,” said Lehigh coach Brett Reed.

Both teams shot just 33 percent from the field in the half — Virginia made 10 of 30 attempts, Lehigh made 8 of 24. The Cavaliers connected on 2 of 4 from behind the 3-point line, outrebounding the Mountain Hawks, 21-18.

“We had so many opportunities,” Bennett said of the first-half issues. “We started out sluggish with some nonchalant turnovers. We missed so many close layups. I challenged them, ‘I said, your defense was pretty good in the first half, it’s got to hold you in there.'”

Box Score

UP NEXT

UVA hosts Iowa (6-0) on Monday night as part of the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

😎 Can we interest anyone in some highlights from coach Tony Bennett’s 3⃣0⃣0⃣th win?

🔶⚔️🔷 #GoHoos | @HarrisTeeter pic.twitter.com/4jrA3VjgCc

— Virginia Men’s Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) November 27, 2021

Team Notes

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

• Virginia (5-2) is 105-2 when limiting opponents to fewer then 50 during the Tony Bennett era
• Bennett recorded his 300th win at Virginia
• Bennett is 27 wins shy of becoming UVA’s all-time winningest men’s basketball coach, trailing Terry Holland who posted a 326-173 mark from 1974-90
• UVA is 151-43 in nonconference action under Bennett (84-8 at JPJ)
• UVA has four-game winning streak after starting the season 1-2
• UVA went on a 14-2 run during the second half
• UVA shot 59.3 percent in the second half, marking a season-high
• Nine Cavaliers reached the scoring column
• UVA had 19 points off 15 Lehigh turnovers
• UVA led 25-21 at halftime

Series Notes

• UVA is 4-0 all-time vs. Lehigh in a series that dates back to 1973-74
• The Cavaliers have held the Mountain Hawks to 60 or fewer points in all four victories

Player Notes

• Double Figure Scorers: Kihei Clark (11), Reece Beekman (10)
• Beekman had a season-high 10 points and four steals
• Clark had a season-high seven assists
• Kadin Shedrick (3 blocks) has blocked three or more shots in each of the last six games
• Caffaro led the bench with eight points and five rebounds
• Chris McGahren made UVA debut
• Jayden Nixon made his season debut

Women’s Basketball: Virginia falls 80-70 to Rhode Island

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

The Virginia women’s basketball team (1-5) suffered an 80-70 loss to Rhode Island (7-0) in the opening game of the Cavalier Classic tournament on Friday at John Paul Jones Arena.

The Cavaliers held a two-point lead at halftime, but Rhode Island used a 10-2 run to start the fourth quarter and built up an 18-point lead midway through the period. Virginia chipped away at the deficit, pulling to within seven with 53.4 seconds remaining and six within the final 15 seconds, but could not complete the comeback.

Junior forward Camryn Taylor led the Cavaliers with 22 points and six rebounds. Grad student guard Amandine Toi scored 17 points with three assists. Dez Elmore led the Rams with 22 points. Chanell Williams scored 19 points, with 14 coming at the free throw line.

The game was a homecoming for Rhode Island head coach Tammi Reiss, who was an All-American at Virginia, playing on UVA’s three Final Four teams. Rhode Island assistant coach Sharnee Zoll-Norman is also an alumna, graduating in 2008 as the Cavaliers’ all-time leader in assists.

After the game opened with four lead changes in the first four minutes, Rhode Island went on a 12-2 run, including scoring nine straight points to take a 14-6 lead. A lay-in by Taylor ended the run, and a 5:30 Virginia scoring drought. The bucket also started an 8-0 UVA run with Parker tying the game on a layup with 11 seconds left in the period. Rhode Island made a pair of free throws to take a 16-14 lead into the second quarter.

After the two teams scored a combined four points in the first 3:45 of the second, both offenses found their footing. A steal from Eleah Parker fed a fastbreak by Toi to tie the game 20-20, the third tie of the game. After Rhode Island answered on the opposite end, sophomore guard Kaydan Lawson drained a three to put UVA ahead 23-22 with 4:53 remaining. A steal that led to a fastbreak and-one from Toi gave UVA a 28-22 advantage. The Rams chipped away at the deficit, tying the game at 33 at the free throw line with 29 seconds left in the half. A pair of free throws from junior point guard Taylor Valladay with 7.5 seconds remaining sent UVA into the break with a 35-33 edge.

Back-to-back layups from Elmore tied the game at 37, the fifth tie of the game, while a pair of Ram free throws were the sixth lead change of the game as the Rams pulled ahead 39-37. After the two teams traded threes, and leads, Rhode Island pushed out to a 44-40 lead. A three-pointer from grad student guard McKenna Dale pulled the Cavaliers to within one, 44-43, with 3:58 remaining in the third. The Rams used a hot-shooting stretch, making five baskets in seven attempts, to build up a 54-45 advantage. A second three from Dale cut the deficit to 54-48 with 26 seconds left in the quarter. Emmanuelle Tahane hit a layup at the buzzer to make it 56-48 heading into the fourth.

Rhode Island scored the first six points of the final frame and outscored the Cavaliers 12-2 in the first five minutes of the period to build up a 68-50 advantage. A three from the left corner from Toi halted the Rams’ run. Toi was fouled on a made layup. She missed the free throw, but Taylor grabbed the rebound and the put-back to narrow the gap to 68-57 with 4:19 remaining. A Taylor layup with 2:35 remaining extended the UVA run to 9-0 and pulled the Cavaliers to a single-digit deficit, 68-59, but Rhode Island made a pair of free throws on the opposite end to go back up by 11. A jumper from Valladay with 53.4 seconds remaining cut the deficit to 73-66. Taylor narrowed the gap to six, 76-70, with 17 seconds remaining, but Rhode Island made their free throws on the opposite end. The Rams held on for the 10-point victory

Virginia hosts Lehigh Friday night

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Virginia (4-2) hosts Lehigh (1-4) in men’s basketball nonconference action on Friday, Nov. 26. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 7 p.m. on ACC Network.

For Openers

• Head coach Tony Bennett seeks his 300th win at Virginia.
• UVA is 150-43 (.777) in nonconference action under Bennett.
• The Cavaliers have captured championships in seven of their last eight November tournaments (Emerald Coast Classic, Charleston Classic, Barclays Center Classic, Corpus Christi Challenge, NIT Season Tip-Off, Battle 4 Atlantis and Legends Classic).
• UVA’s Kadin Shedrick ranks sixth nationally with 20 blocks.
• Shedrick has blocked three or more shots in each of the last five games.
• UVA has a season-high three-game winning streak.

Broadcast Information

• The Virginia-Lehigh game will be televised on ACC Network, 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 located on VirginiaSports.com and the Virginia Sports app.

The Head Coach

• Dean and Markel Families Head Men’s Basketball Coach Tony Bennett has a 299-105 (.740) mark in 13 seasons at Virginia and 368-138 (.727) career mark in 16 seasons as a head coach.
• 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).

Hoo Are These Cavaliers?

• We 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 (10.2 ppg & 3.3 apg) and Reece Beekman (6.2 ppg, 4.3 apg & 2.7 spg), and the additions of transfers Jayden Gardner (14.3 ppg, 8.3 rpg) and Armaan Franklin (13.8 ppg).
• Clark has played 99 games at UVA and was an All-ACC honorable mention selection last season, while Beekman had a team-high 30 steals and was second with 75 assists.
• 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 for the Hoosiers in 2020-21.
• Kadin Shedrick (6.3 ppg & 6.5 rpg) and Francisco Caffaro (4.7 rpg) anchor the paint, while Kody Stattmann, Carson McCorkle, Taine Murray, Igor Miliĉić Jr. and Malachi Poindexter provide perimeter depth.

All-Time vs. Lehigh

• UVA is 3-0 all-time vs. Lehigh in a series that dates back to 1973-74.
• The Cavaliers defeated the Mountain Hawks 75-54 on Dec. 2, 2017.
• UVA also posted an 80-54 win against Lehigh in 2015-16 and an 87-60 decision in the first meeting at University Hall on Dec. 11, 1973.

Last Time vs. the Mountain Hawks

• Kyle Guy scored a game-high 21 points and No. 18 Virginia never trailed in a 75-54 victory against Lehigh during the 2017-18 season.
• Current graduate assistant Isaiah Wilkins added 14 points and Devon Hall had 11 for the Cavaliers.
• Lance Tejada made five of Lehigh’s 10 3-pointers and scored 22 points as the Mountain Hawks shot just 40 percent (19-47).
• The Cavaliers led 22-16 before using a 15-3 run to gain some separation late in the first half.

Last Time Out

• Virginia (4-2) claimed the Roman Legends Classic title with a 58-40 win over Providence on Nov. 22 in Newark, N.J.
• Tournament MVP Jayden Gardner recorded his third double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds and Armaan Franklin added 14 points.
• UVA held Providence to 23.5 percent shooting (12 of 51) and held the Friars scoreless for 6:39 and 4:55, respectively, during the first half.
• Kadin Shedrick had a career-high five blocks and Francisco Caffaro matched a career best with seven rebounds.

On The Horizon

• Virginia hosts Iowa in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Monday, Nov. 29. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN.

Women’s Basketball: Virginia hosts Cavalier Classic Tournament

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Photo courtesy UVA Athletics.

The Virginia women’s basketball team (1-4, 0-0 ACC) hosts its annual Cavalier Classic tournament this weekend, with games taking place on Friday, Nov. 26 and Sunday, Nov. 28 at John Paul Jones Arena.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

• Friday, Nov. 26, 12 p.m.: Virginia vs Rhode Island (6-0)
• Friday, Nov. 26, 2:30 p.m.: Richmond (2-2) vs Long Beach State (4-0)
• Sunday, Nov. 28, 1 p.m.: Rhode Island vs Long Beach
• Sunday, Nov. 28, 4 p.m.: Virginia vs Richmond

BROADCAST INFORMATION

• All four games will stream through ACCNX The game will stream online through ACCNX. ACCNX streams are available through participating TV providers that carry ACC Network and can be watched on the ESPN app and through WatchESPN
• Sunday’s game between Virginia and Richmond will be televised on the ACC Network
• All of the 2021-22 Virginia women’s basketball games – regular-season and post-season – are available locally on the radio on NewsRadio 1070 AM and 98.9 FM WINA
• Live stats will be available for the games

COVID 19 & CLEAR BAG POLICIES

• In accordance with UVA Policy, all attendees 12 years of age and older are required to provide proof of vaccination or of a negative COVID-19 test result for entry into John Paul Jones Arena on event days. Fans are also required to wear their mask inside the arena except for when actively eating or drinking. CLICK HERE for more information
• A clear bag policy is still in place for the arena. CLICK HERE for details

NOTING THE CAVALIERS

• Virginia closed out its Southern California road trip with a 60-48 victory at Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday
• Amandine Toi scored 20 points. It was the second 20-point performance of her career. Her other was a 23-point game against Clemson last season (12/10)
• Toi went on a personal 8-0 run in the fourth quarter to secure the win
• After starting the season 0-of-11 from three-point range, Toi has gong 8-of-22 from long range in the last three games, including her 4-of-9 performance at Fullerton
• Virginia hit seven three-pointers against Fullerton. The team had made 11 in its first four games combined
• Toi continues to lead the ACC in minutes played per game, averaging 35.5 on the floor
• Junior forward Camryn Taylor scored 17 points, her fourth double-digit scoring effort in five games
• After Tuesday’s game, Taylor ranked 10th in the ACC in points per game at 14.4. She was sixth in field goals attempted (61). The next closest player on the Cavaliers in field goal attempts is Toi who has put up 49 shots (33 of which were three-point attempts)
• Taylor is 12th in the ACC in field goal shooting percentage (45.9 percent)
• Eleah Parker had the first double-digit rebounding game by a Cavalier this season, grabbing 12 boards at Fullerton
• Virginia was +9 on the boards against the Titans, the first time this season the Cavaliers have outrebounded their opponent

Women’s Basketball: Virginia wins 60-48 at Fullerton

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

The Virginia women’s basketball team (1-4) picked up its first victory of the season with a 60-48 win against Cal State Fullerton (2-3) on Tuesday at Titan Gym in Fullerton, Calif.

The Cavaliers, fueled by strong post play and the hot shooting of grad student guard Amandine Toi, built on a 33-27 halftime lead to pick up the 12-point road victory.

Toi led all scorers with 20 points, going 4-of-9 from three-point range. Junior forward Camryn Taylor scored 17 points with nine rebounds. Grad student center Eleah Parker led the defensive efforts with 12 rebounds.

Lily Wahinekapu led Fullerton with 13 points.

The Cavaliers opened the game on a 6-0 run, on three baskets from Taylor. After Fullerton found its offensive flow, the two teams traded baskets in the period with Toi closing out the first period with a steal and a fast break that gave UVA a 16-12 advantage.

Fullerton tied the game with 7:50 remaining in the second on a step-back jumper. The Titans took a 22-20 lead with 5:02 left in the half. Toi answered 16 seconds later with a three on the opposite end that ignited an 8-0 run capped by a three from Miller to put UVA ahead 28-22. After the Titans narrowed the gap to four, Toi hit a three pointer with a minute left in the period to put the Cavaliers ahead 33-27 at the break.

Virginia built up a double-digit advantage on a Taylor layup with 6:35 left in the third. A steal and a fastbreak layup from Toi that built UVA’s advantage to 12 was the only scoring by either team in a five and a half minute span. Virginia headed into the fourth quarter with a 44-32 lead.

The Titans started the fourth quarter hot, making four baskets in the first 2:00, with a three-pointer from Wahinekapu cutting the lead to five, 46-41. Back-to-back three-pointers from Toi stopped the Titan run. Toi added a jumper from just inside the arc to make it a personal 8-0 run, giving the Cavaliers a 54-41 lead with six minutes left in the game. Taylor had an and-one with 2:10 remaining that made it a 57-46 game. Virginia held on to secure their first win of the season

Bennett Ball: Virginia’s defense comes alive to smother unbeaten Providence

By Jerry Ratcliffe

The only thing better than two more wins tucked in his hip pocket as Tony Bennett walked out of Newark’s Prudential Center on Tuesday night, was knowing that his Virginia basketball team had returned to locking down opponents with suffocating defense.

Providence, unbeaten after five games and a two-point favorite by the oddsmakers coming into the game, fell for the first time this season, 58-40, as UVA marched to the Roman Legends Classic championship.

It wasn’t so much that Virginia won its fourth game in six starts, but rather how the Cavaliers won: Deeee-fense. 

Bennett’s blueprint to success has always been smothering defense, and this was no different. Not only did Virginia hold Providence to a mere 15 points at halftime, but its in-your-face defensive pressure caused the Friars to shoot a putrid 24 percent for the game (12 of 51), and only 14 percent from behind the arc, a paltry 3 for 22.

Now that’s the kind of defense Bennett and his fandom are familiar with. Perennially one of the best, if not the best defenses in the country, it’s what Bennett hangs his hat on.

“I mean, that’s honestly one of the best defensive efforts I’ve seen in years,” said Providence coach Ed Cooley. “They’re connected, they’re tough. They’re an elite-level defensive team.”

Cooley said that if anything is Virginia’s kryptonite, it would be a red-hot, 3-point shooting team, which is what the Providence coach hoped his team would be against Bennett’s ‘Pack-Line’ defense. That’s not one of the Friars’ strengths, but 14 percent?

The Cavaliers slapped handcuffs on Providence shooters as soon as they stepped off the bus, and never really let up. Nate Watson, the Friars’ leading scorer on the season, finished with 8 points, 10 below his average. 

UVA turned on its defensive prowess in the second half of Monday night’s opening-round win over Georgia, and it continued into the Providence game. The longer the game lasted, the more Virginia’s defensive intensity picked up. The Friars missed 17 of their last 18 field-goal attempts, including their last eight.

“I thought the way we started the game defensively was solid,” Bennett said afterward. “We were in position, we made them earn. Our defense would not allow anything easy for most of the game, so I think we took a step in the right direction for sure.”

Jayden Gardner and Francisco Caffaro were physical in the post, while Kadin Shedrick’s rim-protecting prowess continued to blossom with five blocked shots, a career high. Of course, there was the usual on-ball pressure out on the perimeter from Virginia’s guards.

Cooley said of his team’s 22 attempts from long distance that he estimated eight or nine were good looks. The others were contested, which brought a smile to Bennett’s face. That’s exactly what he wants, contested shots.

“You have to give [Virginia] credit,” Cooley said. “You know, this one was ugly for the Friars, but I’m pretty sure Virginia was really happy with the way they played.”

Cooley was right. This game indicated to Bennett that his team is progressing. It’s nowhere near where he wants it, but this was not the same team that lost to Navy on Nov. 9.

Gardner, who was named MVP of the Legends Classic, recorded his 21st game with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds (the first 20 came at ECU), liked the way he and his teammates started the two Newark games defensively.

“We’re working at defense every day in practice. The basics, the simple stuff, and just learning how to play in the pack,” Gardner said. “I thought we started out these last two games very locked in defensively.”

Bennett liked the steady improvement of Shedrick, who missed last season due to mononucleosis and other factors.

“He’s so long,” Bennett said. “I don’t know what his wingspan is, 7-foot-4 or 7-5. But with his mobility and timing, it’s really good.”

Bennett said sometimes he imagines that the big man, instead of swatting shots into the stands, is just going to reach out and grab a couple of shots one-handed in mid-air.

Cooley must have thought about that, too, at times during a very long second half for the Friars.

“I thought [Shedrick] impacted the game a lot,” the Providence coach said. “You know he has length. They’ve done a good job with him. We remember seeing him in high school down in North Carolina. Good player and they’ve done a really good job with their player development with him.”

The trip up north served a lot of purposes, as do most all of the early-season nonconference games. Bennett wants to expose his team to all sorts of styles of play and find games/opponents that will expose some of his team’s weaknesses, so he can work on those areas in practices.

It’s all about trying to get better before the ACC schedule rolls around.

“We are going in the right direction,” Bennett said after the game. “We’re getting better. We’re finding out what our strengths are. I think you saw some guys grow up the last couple nights (particularly Shedrick and Armaan Franklin).”

Bennett said his is probably the newest team he’s ever coached, and he’s probably right. Not a lot of veterans on this team, and two of those are transfers, so a lot of new working parts or at least parts in new roles.

Defense is the key part of the learning process. The rest will fall in line.

Bennett said someone used to ask his dad — former Wisconsin coach Dick Bennett — how he always got his players to buy in to playing winning defense. Was there some secret formula?

“And his answer was, ‘Every day … every day,’” Bennett said. “We’re going to demand it and hold you accountable. That saying, it’s not what you teach, it’s what you emphasize, we try to emphasize it and do a good job and make our deposits daily so that we get better and better.”

A few years ago, a frustrated Michigan player who had been locked down by Virginia’s defense said to a Cavalier player after the game, ‘Damn, what do you all do, practice nothing but defense?’

If he only knew.

Every day. Every day.

Gardner, Franklin spark Virginia’s 58-40 win over Providence to claim Legends Classic trophy

By Scott Ratcliffe

Virginia got a ton of production from its two transfers early and often, handing Providence its first loss of the season, 58-40, Tuesday in the championship game of the Roman Legends Classic in Newark, N.J.

The Hoos (4-2) have now won holiday tournament championships in eight of the last nine seasons (2019-Uncasville, Conn.; 2018-Nassau, Bahamas; 2017-Brooklyn, N.Y.; 2016-Niceville, Fla.; 2015-Charleston, S.C.; 2014-Brooklyn, N.Y.; 2013-Corpus Christi, Texas).

Armaan Franklin and Jayden Gardner provided a huge lift out of the gate, combining to score the first 19 Cavalier points, as UVA used a 13-0 run to create distance midway through the first half.

Gardner, who was named Legends Classic MVP, notched his third double-double of the season (33rd of his career), finishing with a season-high and game-high 21 points on 8-for-9 shooting to go along with his game-high 13 rebounds (four offensive).

Despite sitting most of the second half with foul trouble, Franklin got it all started, hitting his first four 3-pointers of the night to build a comfortable lead. He added 14 points on the evening (5 for 7 FG; 4 of 6 from downtown) to help pace the Cavalier victory.

Up 13 in the second half, a wide-open Kihei Clark pump faked to send a defender flying before sinking a 3-pointer. Shortly after, Clark buried another from the opposite corner to give the Hoos a 40-25 advantage with 14:57 to play.

Noah Horchler’s 3-pointer trimmed the UVA lead to 11, then Justin Minaya’s ensuing steal led to a pair of Providence free throws, and it was a single-digit affair, 42-33, for the first time in a long time, with just under 12 minutes to go.

Franklin was whistled for his fourth foul moments later, and had to sit and watch from the sideline as the Friars got a 3-ball from Brycen Goodine to cap a 13-2 run and cut it to six, 42-36, with 10:50 left.

The Friars (5-1) went on to miss 17 of their final 18 field-goal attempts, including the next nine in a row. The Hoos took advantage, ending the game with a 16-4 Cavalanche.

After a Kadin Shedrick putback jam and a miss on the other end, Gardner scored on a three-point play to get the Virginia lead back to double digits, 47-36, with 7:36 remaining.

A Reece Beekman and-1 and ensuing touchdown assist to Clark in the final minutes put the finishing touches on the win.

UVA shot 49 percent for the game (22 of 45), knocking down half of its 3-point attempts (6 for 12) and 8 of 10 from the charity stripe. The Hoos outrebounded Providence, 38-27, and recorded 8 blocks on the night, despite giving the ball away 15 times on turnovers.

Clark was the only other Cavalier in double figures, as he scored all 10 of his points after halftime while also dishing out 5 assists.

Beekman added 5 points, 7 assists and 4 rebounds, while Francisco Caffaro chipped in with 4 points and 7 rebounds off the bench. Shedrick posted 4 points, 7 boards and a career-best 5 blocks.

Providence was led by Horchler’s 14 points, while Al Durham had 10 and Nate Watson, the Friars’ leading scorer who averaged 18 a game, was held to 8 as he dealt with foul trouble.

The Friars shot an ugly 24 percent (12 of 51) from the field, including just 14 percent (3 for 22) from long range.

FIRST HALF

Trailing by three in the opening minutes, Franklin nailed back-to-back 3-pointers — the second of which he banked in off the glass — to give Virginia a 10-7 lead heading into the game’s first media timeout.

The teams combined for just one basket over the next three minutes, as a Gardner tip-in off of a Caffaro miss with 12:08 on the clock capped 8 unanswered Wahoo points, but there were more to come.

Gardner scored again out of the under-12 break to make it 10 straight, and then Franklin sank his third triple to push the lead to 17-7, forcing Providence coach Ed Cooley to call a timeout at the 10:36 mark as Gardner and Franklin combined for a 7-for-7 start, scoring the first 17 Virginia points.

With 10:56 left, Watson picked up his second foul to make matters worse for Providence. The Friars finally put an end to their scoring drought on a Durham basket at the 9:56 mark, the team’s first points in over six minutes.

Franklin answered with a jumper to keep his stat sheet clean, then Beekman put home a layup off of a steal, becoming the first Cavalier not named Franklin or Gardner to score for the Hoos, and it was 21-9 with 5:45 left.

Franklin drilled another long ball, his fourth, with just under three minutes to go to extend the lead to 26-11.

Providence misfired on 15 of its next 18 field goals after starting the game 3 for 5.

Caffaro was fouled just before the halftime horn, and sank a pair of free throws with just three tenths of a second, and the Hoos went into the locker room doubling up the Friars, 30-15.

Virginia shot 44 percent in the half (11 for 25), including hitting 4 of 7 3-point tries (57 percent). Providence finished the half shooting 6 for 23 (26 percent), 1 for 9 from downtown (11 percent).

Box Score

UP NEXT

The Cavaliers return home to take on Lehigh Friday night at 7 p.m. on ACC Network.

Team Notes

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

• Virginia (4-2) is 104-2 when limiting opponents to fewer then 50 during the Tony Bennett era
• Bennett recorded his 299th win at Virginia
• UVA is 150-43 in nonconference action under Bennett
• The Cavaliers have captured seven November tournament championships in the last eight years
• UVA outrebounded Providence 38-27
• Providence went on a 13-2 run in the second half to make it a six-point game
• The Cavaliers led 30-15 at halftime
• UVA held the Friars to 15 points in the first half, marking a season low
• UVA had a 13-0 first-half run, holding Providence scoreless for 6:39
• Providence also had a 4:55 scoring drought in the first half
• Providence was 6 of 23 from the field, including 1 of 9 from 3-point range, in the first half

Series Notes

• Virginia is 4-4 all-time vs. Providence in a series that dates back to the 1978-79 season.
• UVA defeated the Friars 63-52 in the championship game of the Emerald Coast Classic on Nov. 26, 2016
• UVA is 4-1 vs. Providence in neutral-site contests
• Tony Bennett is 2-0 vs. Providence as head coach at UVA

Player Notes

• Double Figure Scorers: Jayden Gardner (21), Armaan Franklin (14), Kihei Clark (10)
• Gardner was named the MVP of the Legends Classic
• Franklin joined Gardner on the all-tournament team
• Gardner added 13 rebounds for his third double-double (33rd career)
• Gardner recorded his 21st game with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds (1st at UVA)
• Kihei Clark (5 assists) moved into 10th on UVA’s career list at 406
• Francisco Caffaro tied a career high with seven rebounds
• Kadin Shedrick registered his fourth straight multi-block game with a career high five blocks
• Reece Beekman matched a career high with seven assists