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Basketball leaves Spain with spotless record

Virginia finishes 10-day tour abroad Wednesday

<p>The Virginia men's basketball team returned from an international trip to Spain unbeaten, winning each of its 5 games.&nbsp;</p>

The Virginia men's basketball team returned from an international trip to Spain unbeaten, winning each of its 5 games. 

The Virginia men’s basketball team gained three things during their early-August tour of Spain: valuable playing time, new experiences and wins.

The Cavaliers swept their Spanish opponents, going 5-0 in the tour.

Virginia kicked off their tour against Madrid, where they played in Pabellón Felipe Reyes, a gym with seating for only 100 — including coaches and players on the court.

The Cavaliers got to see what their team looked like without key appearances from Malcolm Brogdon, Anthony Gill and Mike Tobey — and in game one, they liked what they saw, as they coasted to a 92-81 victory.

Some new faces made their mark as well in game one, as freshman guard Kyle Guy and junior forward Austin Nichols each recorded 17 points to lead the team.

However, there were no shortage of challenges for Virginia. They played each of their games with a 24-second shot clock, which is consistent with FIBA rules. The Cavaliers also went up against a familiar face — forward Ivan Cruz Uceda, who played for Miami and played against Virginia three times in the 2015-16 season.

In game two, the Cavaliers faced the Generals once again, but this time they had to rally from behind to earn a 78-76 win. In this game, Virginia played with a little less experience, as coach Tony Bennett elected to rest senior point guard London Perrantes, junior forward Isaiah Wilkins and sophomore center Jack Salt.

However, younger players got the chance to take the fate of the game into their own hands, as freshman guard Ty Jerome hit a three-pointer with just under two minutes left to give Virginia a 75-73 lead. Jerome came up big again soon after, hitting another three to make the score final, 78-76.

And then came the new experiences. In Madrid, the Cavaliers were able to visit the storied Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, the venue that Real Madrid calls home. Virginia also got to tour the Spanish Royal Palace before heading to Albacete with a detour in the holy city of Toledo.

The Cavaliers played game three against Arcos Albacete Basket, Albacete’s local professional club. Virginia did not have much trouble against the team, as they went onto beat the club 70-44 inside a gym with no air conditioning.

Younger players once again logged some minutes, as freshman forward Jay Huff, freshman guard De’Andre Hunter, Jerome and Guy got significant minutes. Huff led the team with 14 points and five blocks while adding on seven rebounds.

The team then traveled to Sant Julià De Vilatorta, a small town outside of Barcelona. This time, the Cavaliers played in a 500-seat gym, against Sant Julià. Virginia faced off against the local team for another two-game set.

Virginia was coming off a few days of rest after leaving Albacete, and although the Cavaliers won 72-62 in their first contest, Sant Julià threatened with a late six straight points. Perrantes took over the game in the final minutes to secure Virginia’s lead, and the senior tallied 14 points to lead the team. Sophomore forward Jarred Reuter followed close behind with 13 points.

In the fifth and final game of the tour, Virginia dominated Sant Julià with a 85-49 victory. As was the story of the entire tour, fresh faces got plenty of minutes on the court.

Nichols led the team in scoring with 14 points. Three other players earned double digits — as Hunter scored 11 — and Reuter and junior guard Marial Shayok tallied 10 each. Hunter, who was the only Cavalier to play in all five games, added four points in the contest, two of which came from an emphatic dunk with just minutes left in the game.

After the Cavaliers capped off their last bit of competition in the tour, they traveled to Camp Nou — which offered a contrast to the few-hundred seat gyms Virginia had been playing in over the week with its 99,000 seat stadium. There the Cavaliers got another taste of Spanish culture, as they watched a match between Sevilla and FC Barcelona.

This isn’t the first time Bennett has taken his team to Europe. Virginia visited The Netherlands, Belgium and France in 2012 where they went 2-3.

Overall, the Cavaliers are 15-7 in European tours since 1996. While the teams they challenge overseas may not stack up against who they will face in the regular season, not much can compare to the new things the Cavaliers got to experience in Spain.

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