MBB: Hoos snap losing skid with 74-65 win over Manhattan

By Scott Ratcliffe

Virginia got back to basics in its 74-65 win over visiting Manhattan Tuesday at John Paul Jones Arena, the first of two Thanksgiving Week home nonconference matchups to iron out some more kinks before heading into ACC action.

The Cavaliers (4-2) were happy to taste victory again after a pair of lopsided losses in the Bahamas last week, and the Jaspers (3-3) proved to be no pushover, getting within two possessions more than once in the closing minutes.

Third-year marksman Isaac McKneely nailed a huge 3-pointer with just over a minute to play, pushing the Virginia lead to 68-59, and the Wahoos were able to seal it from the charity stripe, connecting on all six attempts in the final minute of play (iMac knocked down four of ‘em).

Five Hoos scored in double figures, led by McKneely’s 18 points (5 for 10 FG; 3 for 4 from deep), 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, while Andrew Rohde turned in a season-high 14 points (6 of 9 from the field) to go along with a game-high 4 steals on the defensive end.

“I think we’re getting better each day,” said Rohde. “Practices have been pretty intense these past couple days and we have a lot of young, inexperienced guys, so for us as upperclassmen just to kind of show them the ropes and show them what it means to play Virginia defense.”

Rohde also turned the rock over just once in 37 minutes of court time as the primary ball-handler.

“Andrew’s doing a really good job of communicating,” said UVA interim coach Ron Sanchez of his floor general. “He’s got a lot of experience in an inexperienced group, so his leadership on the floor is also part of his development as a player as well.”

Added McKneely of Rohde’s offensive contributions: “He needs to continue to play with that confidence, because when he does, it really helps us.”

Blake Buchanan scored 8 of his 11 points before halftime, while also grabbing 5 rebounds, while Dai Dai Ames and Jacob Cofie each added 10, as UVA shot 54 percent (29 for 54) for the contest and 43 percent (6 for 14) from behind the 3-point line.

The Hoos registered only 8 giveaways all night, which translated into 5 Manhattan points, a vast improvement from the team’s pair of performances in Nassau, where Tennessee and St. John’s feasted for 48 combined points off of 34 UVA turnovers.

Virginia led by as many as 15 in the first half Tuesday, shooting a blistering 61 percent from the field across the opening 20 minutes, and then opened the second half on a 9-0 run on a Rohde floater in the lane to open up the game’s largest lead, 47-31, with 17:24 to play.

The Jaspers kept clawing, using a few scoring spurts of their own to keep things interesting, but the Cavaliers had enough muscle to finish the job.

“We’ve got a young team. We’ve got a lot of guys new to the system and it’s early in the season, so I’m hoping by January, February, we’ll have it figured out,” McKneely said of his teammates continuing to gel together on both ends of the floor.

In addition to the five Hoos in double digits, Elijah Saunders chipped in with 8 points and a team-high 6 rebounds. TJ Power came off the bench and connected on a stepback triple in the first half, which turned out to be his only bucket of the night in six minutes and 16 seconds, while Taine Murray went scoreless (did not attempt a shot) in 15:46 of action.

UVA dominated the paint production, 42-22, and scored 25 points off of 14 Manhattan turnovers. Wesley Robinson led the Jaspers with 12 points, while Masiah Gilyard had 10 and Devin Dinkins scored 11 off the bench. Shaquil Bender and Fraser Roxburgh each added 9 in the losing effort.

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Team Notes

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

• UVA scored a season high 74 points
• UVA is 170-11 when scoring 70 or more points since 2009-10 (2-0 this season)
• The Cavaliers are 4-0 vs. unranked opponents this season and 101-10 in non-conference action at John Paul Jones Arena since 2009-10
• UVA had a season-high 12 steals
• UVA scored a season-high 42 points in the paint
• UVA gained a 58-42 advantage after a 9-0 run
• UVA started the second half on a 9-0 run to take a 47-31 lead
• UVA shot 60.7 percent (17 of 28) to take a 38-31 halftime lead
• UVA started 4 of 4 from the field and led 10-2
• UVA shot 8 of 9 en route to an 18-10 lead at 13:23 1H

Series Notes

• Virginia is 2-0 all-time vs. Manhattan in a series that dates back to 1993
• UVA defeated Manhattan 78-66 in the first round of the 1993 NCAA Tournament on March 19, 1993, in Syracuse, N.Y.

Player Notes

• Double Figure Scorers: Isaac McKneely (18), Andrew Rohde (14), Blake Buchanan (11), Jacob Cofie (10), Dai Dai Ames (10)
• McKneely scored in double figures for the fifth time (31 career)
• Buchanan scored in double figure for the second time (3 career)
• Buchanan set career bests in field goals made (5) and attempted (9)
• Rohde scored in double figures for the third time (34 career)
• Rohde’s 14 points marked his UVA high
• Cofie scored in double figures for the third time
• Ames scored in double figures for the third time (11 career)
• UVA had five players in double figures for the first time since Jan. 24, 2024 vs. NC State (Ryan Dunn 13, Taine Murray 11, Reece Beekman 11, Jordan Minor 10, Isaac McKneely 10)

UP NEXT

The Cavaliers will host Patriot League opponent Holy Cross (ACC Network Extra/ESPN+) on Friday at 4 p.m.