Hoos fight back, hang on for 56-54 win over Northeastern

By Scott Ratcliffe

The rust was apparent throughout most of the contest as Virginia returned from its 11-day exam break, getting everything it could handle from a pesky Northeastern squad on Saturday at John Paul Jones Arena.

The 22nd-ranked Cavaliers fought back from a pair of double-digit deficits and hung on for a 56-54 win over the Huskies, as Reece Beekman guided the team to victory in the closing moments.

Beekman finished with a game-high and career-high 21 points on 50-percent shooting (9 for 18 FG) to go with his team-best 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals, turning the ball over just once. The senior floor general saved his best for last, connecting on a pair of free throws to tie the game with 52 seconds remaining, then sank the game-clinching, fallaway baseline jumper off the glass with just 5 ticks showing, taking a shot on his way to the hole, and the Wahoo defense thwarted Northeastern’s final threat, forcing a bad pass on the ensuing possession that put the win on ice.

“We just wanted to space the court out, kind of get me in an attacking space,” Beekman said of the all-important possession. “[The Huskies] kind of switched it, went under, so played a little hesitation game and got downhill, and just played through contact.”

Beekman was the only Cavalier player in double figures, as the team struggled to put the ball in the basket all evening. For the game, UVA shot 42 percent from the floor (22 for 53), including just 14 percent (2 for 14) from downtown, and were outrebounded (for the fifth time in the first 10 games) by a 35-28 margin.

Once again, however, the Hoos (9-1) did a lot of their damage on the defensive end, forcing 17 Huskies giveaways (8 steals, 4 blocks) and converting them into 19 points.

The visitors built a 16-4 lead to start the contest, but Virginia fought back with a 16-2 run and took its first lead, 20-18, on a tough Elijah Gertrude three-point play through traffic with 4:32 until halftime.

The Huskies (4-7) scored nine unanswered points en route to a 30-24 halftime advantage, then opened the second half with a 7-0 spurt to extend their lead to 13, and Tony Bennett had seen enough, calling a timeout at the 17:56 mark to regroup.

“We went to trap the post early because we weren’t sure if we could guard them, and boy, they just they had that floor space,” recalled Bennett. “Boom, made a couple 3s. We were unsound defensively for stretches in the first half and then a little bit in the second half. That was early chances to toughen up, and then someone needed to make some plays.”

UVA responded with a 13-3 run to get back within three on a Jake Groves basket with just over 12 minutes left to play, with Beekman pouring in 7 points during that stretch, including a highlight-reel, two-hand flush on a strong take to the hole.

Isaac McKneely, who entered the weekend coming off of back-to-back, career-high scoring performances (22 points in each of the last two games), couldn’t get his shot to fall Saturday until he sank UVA’s first triple of the night with 9:35 on the clock, pulling the Cavaliers back to within two, 42-40. Part of Northeastern’s defensive strategy was to prevent McKneely from getting open looks.

Still, only moments later, McKneely struck again from 3-point land, this time giving the Hoos a one-point advantage as the clock went under seven minutes. Ryan Dunn followed that up with a powerful alley-oop dunk off of a turnover on a perfect assist from Beekman in transition, and JPJ was rocking as Virginia took its largest lead of the night, 47-44.

Another Beekman-to-Dunn jam gave the Hoos a 52-50 edge with 2:22 to go, but Northeastern’s Joe Pridgen was able to knot it back up on the opposite end on the next trip down the floor, sticking back his own miss after Dunn deflected the ball away.

Northeastern took what turned out to be its final lead of the ballgame, 54-52, with 1:06 remaining on a Chris Doherty bucket. After Beekman tied it, the Huskies fed Doherty again with the game on the line, and this time, Groves was able to lock the big man down in the paint and bother his unsuccessful shot attempt, as Dunn secured the rebound and handed off to Beekman for the win.

Groves and McKneely each finished with 8 points, while Leon Bond III added 6 and Dunn and Gertrude chipped in 5 apiece. Rohde, who was held out of practice for nine days, nursing a foot injury (0 for 5, 0 for 3 from deep) did not score across 31 minutes, but did register a game-high 6 assists.

Northeastern shot 47 percent (24 for 51) from the field and 26 percent (6 for 23) from long distance. Doherty, the team’s top scorer and rebounder on the season, posted a team-high 12 points and added 9 boards and 5 assists. Pridgen chipped in with 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

Team Notes

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

• Virginia (9-1, 1-0 ACC) has a five-game win streak
• UVA is 8-1 in non-conference action and 7-0 at JPJ overall
• UVA is 97-10 at home in non-league play under Tony Bennett
• Virginia gained a 45-44 lead on an Isaac McKneely 3-pointer
• Northeastern gained its largest lead of 13 at 37-24 at 17:56 second half
• Northeastern led 30-24 at the half after shooting 48.1 percent (13 of 27)
• Northeastern jumped to a 16-4 lead
• UVA gained an 18-17 lead after a 14-1 run
• UVA had 19 points off turnovers and had a 14-6 advantage in bench points
• UVA has held seven opponents to 54 or fewer points (7-0)

Series Notes

• UVA moves to 2-0 all-time against Northeastern
• UVA is 102-30 all-time vs. Coastal Athletic Association opponents (2-0 in 2023-24)

Player Notes

• Double Figure Scorers: Reece Beekman (21)
• Beekman scored a career-high 21 points, including the game-winner with five seconds remaining
• Beekman scored in double figures for the 37th time
• Andrew Rohde matched a season high with six assists
• Dante Harris missed his fourth-straight game with an ankle injury

UP NEXT

Virginia gets its first true road test on Tuesday when the Cavaliers travel to Memphis to face the Tigers (7 p.m., ESPN2), a team that handed No. 13 Clemson its first loss of the season on Saturday.