The No. 13 Virginia men took the basketball court Saturday against No. 20 Missouri with the hopes of keeping their undefeated non-conference record unblemished. They did. The Cavaliers used the fervor of the home crowd, smothering defense and a solid team-wide performance to pull away late for a rousing 85-72 victory.
The 8,392 fans at University Hall, stung by recent criticisms of lackluster support, roared their approval throughout as Virginia moved to 13-3.
"The crowd made the difference," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said. "They just got juiced. I thought the crowd was phenomenal."
The Virginia faithful had plenty to cheer about as they watched the Cavaliers go on an 8-0 run in the first three and a half minutes and grab a 10-2 lead. As Missouri forward Kareem Rush and guard Clarence Gilbert shot poorly, the Tigers worked the ball inside to center Arthur Johnson, who had 10 first-half points.
Down three at halftime, Missouri reeled off a 6-0 run to start the second half and took its first lead. The Cavaliers fell behind 42-38 before Roger Mason, who was held scoreless in the first half, took charge and scored seven unanswered points, capped off by a three-pointer from the top of the key, to give Virginia a 45-42 lead with 16:09 remaining.
After five lead changes in the next 12 minutes of play, the turning point came with 4:10 remaining and Missouri up 69-68. Virginia center Travis Watson powered through the lane and finished off a monster jam despite a blow to the head. Fans went into a frenzy, Watson completed the three-point play and the Cavaliers took the lead they would not relinquish.
The game remained within reach for Missouri until Johnson fouled out with 3:34 remaining. His absence caused a defensive meltdown, and the Tigers became easy pickings for the Cavs, who finished the game with a 17-3 run.
"We missed the front end of a 1-and-1. It was really about a 30-45 sec period where the game was decided," Missouri coach Quin Snyder said. "We missed foul shots and didn't make plays."
The Cavaliers converted 34 of 41 free throws and placed five scorers in double figures, led by Donald Hand's 20 points. Watson (16 points, 10 rebounds) and forward Chris Williams (17 points, 11 rebounds) reached double-doubles. With his performance, Williams moved into the 25th spot in Virginia's all-time scoring list at 1,225 points.
Employing a half-court pressure defense, Virginia limited Missouri to seven assists, a season-low for Virginia's opponents. The Tigers shot only 19 free throws and committed 16 turnovers while dealing with a defense Gillen called "excellent."
"I'm very proud of our team," Gillen said. "I thought it was one of our better defensive efforts. We out-rebounded them, which is pretty good for us. If you defend and you rebound, you're going to be in a lot of games."
Wednesday's road showdown against No. 6 North Carolina will allow the Cavaliers the opportunity to exorcise their recent ACC ghosts. For now, Virginia can reflect on its perfect 11-0 non-conference record this year, its first since 1981-82.
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