No. 11 Virginia fell to 1-2 in ACC conference play Wednesday night against Pittsburgh, whose offense picked apart coach Tony Bennett’s pack-line defense to beat the Cavaliers (11-3, 1-2 ACC), 88-76.
Virginia’s defense seemed to be out of sync for the majority of the game, and the Panthers (12-3, 1-1 ACC) made good on their reputation beyond the arc, hitting 13-of-21 — a 61.9 percent average.
The Panthers’ two biggest scorers — senior guard Jamel Artis and senior forward Michael Young — stepped up big for Pittsburgh. Artis went 6-of-7 from beyond the arc to finish with 24 points. Young followed with 19 of his own.
The Cavaliers stayed in the game thanks to their ability to force Pittsburgh turnovers in the second half. The Panthers committed 14 turnovers on the night, giving Virginia more opportunities to get the ball back on offense.
Five different Cavaliers scored in double figures. Junior guard Devon Hall provided the early offensive spark for the Cavaliers, scoring a career-high 15 points. Senior point guard London Perrantes led Virginia with 16 points, as sophomore forward Jarred Reuter and junior guard Marial Shayok added 10 and 14 points, respectively. Junior guard Darius Thompson also chipped in 11 points after freshman guard Kyle Guy replaced him in the starting lineup for the first time this season.
The Panthers were leading Virginia, 70-67, with just seconds left in regulation before Perrantes hit a long three with just 2.4 seconds left to tie the game at 70 and push the contest into overtime.
However, the overtime period ended in heartbreak for the Cavaliers, as Pittsburgh senior forward Sheldon Jeter hit two three-pointers followed by a basket from Artis beyond the arc to give the Panthers a quick nine points. The Cavaliers couldn’t mount a comeback.
Virginia returns home to face another ACC foe Sunday at 8 p.m. when Wake Forest visits John Paul Jones Arena.
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