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​Men’s basketball wins Emerald Coast Classic

<p>Senior guard London Perrantes scored 11 points against Providence en route to All-Tournament honors.</p>

Senior guard London Perrantes scored 11 points against Providence en route to All-Tournament honors.

The Virginia men’s basketball team withstood a 9-0 run from Providence at the start of the second half Saturday to win the Emerald Coast Classic final, 63-52. Finishing with 11 points apiece, senior guard London Perrantes and junior guard Darius Thompson led the Cavaliers (6-0) in scoring. Perrantes, the tournament MVP, added a team-high eight rebounds and five assists.

After the Friars cut the deficit down to just five points early in the second half, Perrantes drilled a huge three on the right side — his third of the evening — to increase Virginia’s lead to 37-29. Providence rallied again, using ball screens to break down the pack-line defense and get to the free-throw line, but redshirt freshman forward Mamadi Diakite stepped up for coach Tony Bennett’s team.

Diakite scored all 10 of his points in the final 12 minutes. The Blue Ridge School alum hit on two-of-three high-arching attempts from three-point range, previewing what kind of matchup nightmare he might become in the future.

Virginia received small contributions from a wide cast in what many considered to be its toughest test of the 2016-17 season to date. With their go-to post scorer junior forward Austin Nichols dismissed, the Cavaliers continue to rely on a trio of big men — junior forward Isaiah Wilkins, sophomore forward Jarred Reuter and sophomore center Jack Salt — to produce in the paint. Entering Saturday, there was concern over how they would hold up against stronger competition.

All three collectively faced junior Rodney Bullock, one of the top forwards in the Big East Conference, but the trio did well to match his and fellow junior forward Emmitt Holt’s effectiveness. Wilkins recorded nine points, while Salt and Reuter chipped in eight and five, respectively. Salt snatched a career-high six rebounds.

Bullock tallied 16 points and six rebounds, while Holt contributed 11 and six. Junior guard Jalen Lindsey led all scorers with 18 points.

Virginia returns home to face Ohio State at John Paul Jones Arena in the ACC-Big 10 Challenge Wednesday at 9 p.m.

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