Cavaliers get back in win column with 67-55 triumph over Eagles

By Scott Ratcliffe

Virginia had four players in double figures in a 67-55 win over visiting Boston College on Tuesday night. It was the 11th victory in the last 13 meetings for the Cavaliers (13-9, 7-5 ACC) over the Eagles, and the seventh in a row over BC at John Paul Jones Arena.

Senior forward Jayden Gardner, who posted 17 points and 5 rebounds, sealed the contest with a three-point play with 57 seconds left, while Kihei Clark scored 14 of his game-high 19 points in the second half. Those two combined to go a perfect 17 for 17 from the free-throw line, as Virginia knocked down 26 of 29 from the stripe.

Kadin Shedrick set a career high with 13 points to go with his team-high 8 rebounds, while Armaan Franklin added 12 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.

After building a five-point advantage by halftime, the Wahoos scored the first six points of the second half, giving them their first double-digit lead of the evening, 36-25, as the Eagles (9-12, 4-7) missed their first eight shots of the half.

The Hoos extended the lead to as many as 15 points, but Quinten Post’s basket midway through the second half trimmed it to nine, 46-37.

A pair of Clark free throws pushed the UVA lead back to 15, 55-40, with five minutes and change. Down by nine with 1:55 to play, the Eagles looked to have a three-point opportunity to potentially make it a two-possession game, as the Cavaliers went over two minutes without scoring, but Jaeden Zackery was whistled for a flagrant foul and the Hoos began to drain the clock en route to the win.

Virginia shot 44 percent (19 for 43) overall and 43 percent from downtown (3 for 7), forcing 14 BC turnovers and winning the battle of the boards, 27-26. Reece Beekman didn’t score (0 for 3 FG), but registered a game-high 7 assists to go along with two steals. Virginia is now a perfect 9-0 on the season in games following a loss.

The Eagles were led by James Karnik’s 16 points before he fouled out in the final minute of play. Demarr Langford added 11 points, as BC shot 40 percent (19 for 47) and 24 percent from the 3-point line (5 for 21).

FIRST HALF

It took a while for UVA to get things going offensively, going 4:10 without a point, and making just one field-goal attempt in the first eight-plus minutes of the contest (1 for 8).

Gardner was able to draw fouls and get to the free-throw line, picking up six of Virginia’s first eight points from the stripe to keep the Hoos from falling behind early.

Gardner finally got a field goal to drop, ending a Cavalier drought of over six minutes to cut the BC lead to 11-10. Franklin followed with Virginia’s first 3-pointer of the night, and then Stattmann gave his team the lead for the first time, 15-14, with a pair of free throws with 9:37 on the clock.

The Hoos turned up the intensity in the later stages of the half, forcing their second shot-clock violation of the game as part of a 7-0 run to take a 26-19 lead with just over three minutes left.

The Eagles responded with a late 6-2 spurt to get within three with time winding down, but Clark sank a baseline jumper to beat the buzzer, giving the Cavaliers a 30-25 edge at halftime.

UVA finished the half shooting 43 percent (10 for 23), registering 15 points off of BC’s eight first-half giveaways.

Box Score

Team Notes

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

• Virginia improved to 13-9, 7-5 ACC
• UVA is 8-4 at John Paul Jones Arena
• UVA forced two shot clock violations (25 in 2021-22)
• UVA trailed 10-4, but used a 13-3 first-half run to gain a 17-14 lead
• UVA used a 7-0 run to gain a 26-19 lead
• UVA led 30-25 at halftime
• UVA went on a 13-2 run to start the second stanza
• UVA converted its first 14 free throws and finished 26 of 29
• UVA’s seven 3-point attempts were its fewest since attempting seven vs. Clemson on Jan. 19, 2016

Series Notes

• Virginia is 18-8 all-time vs. Boston College, including a 13-8 ACC mark, in the series that dates back to 1971-72
• UVA has won three straight games vs. BC and 11 of the last 13 games
• UVA is 10-2, including a seven-game winning streak, against Boston College in Charlottesville
• UVA has limited BC to 58 or fewer points in seven of the last nine meetings
• Head coach Tony Bennett is 12-5 all-time against Boston College

Player Notes

• Double Figure Scorers: Kihei Clark (19), Jayden Gardner (17), Kadin Shedrick (13), Armaan Franklin (12)
• Shedrick had a career-high 13 points
• Clark had a season-high 19 points
• Clark’s 10 free throws (10 attempts) marked a career high
• Gardner reached double figures for the 17th time (91st career)
• Shedrick reached double figures for the sixth time (8th career)
• Clark reached double figures for the 11th time (45th career)
• Franklin reached double figures for the 15th time (29th career)
• Beekman (2 steals) extended his steal streak to 12 games
• Kody Stattmann matched a career high with three steals and added two blocks

UP NEXT

The Hoos’ next two games are against the two teams currently tied for first place in the conference standings, hosting Miami Saturday at 5 p.m. (ACC Network) before traveling to Duke Monday night at 7 (ESPN).