If Tuesday's game against Florida State wasn't a must-win for the Virginia men's basketball team, it came pretty close.
The No. 13 Cavaliers' solid 89-71 victory over the unranked Seminoles (5-12, 0-4 ACC) ended a two-game losing streak and showed some revived momentum for a Virginia team with previously tepid showings in conference play.
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The Cavaliers (12-3, 2-3) began the season with 10 wins and climbed to No. 8 nationally but played to a different tune in their first four ACC outings. In addition to large deficit road losses to No. 4 Wake Forest and No. 2 Duke, Virginia dropped its game against unranked Georgia Tech at home. Until last night, the Cavaliers' only ACC win was N.C. State on Jan. 6. Virginia trailed for most of the N.C. State game and managed to take the lead only in the final minutes. Coming into last night's game, the Cavaliers faced the possibilities of both a 1-4 ACC start and a dent intheir NCAA postseason hopes.
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Instead, Virginia now holds a 2-4 ACC record after a game junior forward Chris Williams called a vital win.
"As an ACC game, it's a big win," Williams said. "We just went down to Duke and lost by 40. This kind of win gets the bad taste out of your mouth."
The Cavaliers shot 55.7 percent for the game and 64.5 percent in the second half, by far their best ACC showings this season. And Virginia connected on a season-high 11 three-pointers.
Williams finished with 20 points, six rebounds, three steals and one assist. Senior point guard Donald Hand registered 15 points and seven assists, and sophomore center Travis Watson, despite fouling out with 4 minutes, 41 seconds to go, produced 12 points and nine boards, one shy of his seventh double-double of the season.
In the end though, the man of the hour was senior shooting guard and three-point specialist Keith Friel. In 25 minutes, he had 22 points on seven field goals, five of them three-pointers, his best numbers since transferring from Notre Dame before last season.
After leading by only six at half, the Cavaliers opened by trading baskets with the Seminoles before increasing their lead to 15. But Florida State fought back with an 18-7 run and cut the margin to five. After an official's timeout, Virginia responded with the game's pivotal 8-0 run, catapulted by a hook shot from senior forward Stephane Dondon and a Watson steal at the other end. What followed was pure Friel fantasia.
In the game's momentous 34th minute, Friel, who had only three points in the first half, sunk two three-pointers in back-to-back possessions thanks to Hand passes and Watson screens. The Cavaliers' lead returned to double digits, where it remained for the rest of the game. Friel's showing in the second half consisted of six field goals, including four three-pointers.
Asked about the run, FSU coach Steve Robinson said, "When momentum is on your side, Keith Friel hits a fall away three-pointer from the corner with a hand in his face"
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