MBB: No. 11 Tennessee runs away with 64-42 win over UVA in Bahamas

By Scott Ratcliffe

No. 11 Tennessee handed Virginia its first loss of the season Thursday, 64-42, in a Baha Mar Championship semifinal matchup in Nassau, Bahamas.

The Cavaliers (3-1) committed 18 turnovers on the night — 9 in each half — which led to 30 points on the other end of the court.

The Volunteers stayed perfect (5-0), thanks in large part to a huge night from graduate transfer Chaz Lanier, who poured in a game-high 26 points.

Leading by just a point heading into the second half, Tennessee used a 15-3 spurt to gain separation. Lanier scored the first 11 points of the second half, including three 3-pointers.

When the Wahoos made a run of their own and got back down within single digits, 46-38, with less than eight minutes remaining, the Vols answered with an 18-0 scoring spree that sealed the deal. During that stretch, UVA went scoreless for over six minutes.

Virginia shot just 29 percent for the contest (14 for 49), including 30 percent (6 for 20) from long range, and the Hoos were outrebounded, 43-34. The Vols had 18 offensive rebounds and scored 19 second-chance points.

Tennessee led 22-14 late in the first half, but the Cavaliers scored the last seven points of the half — capped by a long Andrew Rohde triple to beat the buzzer — and trailed 22-21 at the break.

“I think in the first half we did a really good job,” said UVA interim coach Ron Sanchez. “We had the game where we wanted it. We played tough enough, our mistakes came on the offensive glass, and their physicality and maturity showed on the glass today. Their physicality showed on the glass, and we did not do a good job of taking care of the basketball. Those, in my opinion, were the two keys of the game.”

Following the early Vols flurry to begin the second half, Dai Dai Ames did all he could to try to get his team back in it. The Kansas State transfer, who actually played in this event last year as a member of the Wildcats, scored on a tough drive and then sank a long 3 to get the Hoos within eight points.

Taine Murray added another triple after a Tennessee giveaway, and it was a 39-34 ballgame with still 10:47 to play.

Former Cavalier Igor Milicic Jr. responded with a 3-ball of his own, and nailed a pair of free throws to push the lead back to 11 before a Rohde 3-pointer made it 46-38 just before the under-8 media timeout, but that’s as close as the Hoos would get the rest of the way.

“When you play against high-level competition, it really shows you where you are as a team,” Sanchez said.

Ames was the only UVA player in double figures with 12 points, while Rohde finished with 8 and Blake Buchanan added 6 points and a team-high 7 rebounds, and also matched a game high with 3 blocks. No other Cavaliers scored more than 4 points.

Elijah Saunders had a rough outing, finishing with 3 points on 1-for-8 shooting, while Isaac McKneely went 1 for 6 and TJ Power was 0 for 4 from the field. Sanchez later shared in his postgame comments that Saunders had been dealing with some cramping issues throughout the game.

Milicic, who also played one year under Sanchez in Charlotte, added 14 points and a game-high 8 rebounds.

Team Notes

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

• Virginia fell to 3-1 with the non-conference loss
• UVA is 0-1 vs. ranked opponents
• Tennessee scored 30 points off of 18 UVA turnovers
• The Volunteers out-rebounded the Cavaliers 43-34, including 18 offensive rebounds which led to 19 second chance points
• Former Cavalier Igor Milicic Jr. (2021-22) tallied 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists for Tennessee
• UVA, who is 70-63 all-time vs. SEC opponents, will play at Florida in the SEC/ACC Challenge on Dec. 4
• UVA shot 28.6 percent, including 30 percent from 3-point range
• UVA went on a 10-2 run to cut the margin to 39-34
• Tennessee led 22-21 at the half

Series Notes

• The Cavaliers are 8-6 against the Volunteers in the all-time series that dates to 1917
• UVA is 3-2 against Tennessee on neutral courts

Player Notes

• Double Figure Scorers: Dai Dai Ames (12)
• Ames scored in double figures for the second time at UVA (10 career)
• Ames tied career highs in free throws made (5) and attempted (6)
• Blake Buchanan led UVA with three blocked shots

UP NEXT

UVA will look to regroup Friday, as the Cavaliers will face No. 22 St. John’s — which lost on a buzzer-beater against Baylor in double overtime — in the consolation game at 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.