Not even the stomach flu could slow down Virginia senior Travis Watson last night.
Despite battling dizziness and vomiting at halftime, the second-team All-ACC forward willed Virginia to its first postseason win since 1995, tying a career-high with 29 points and adding 12 rebounds.
With the 89-73 win over Brown University, the Cavaliers (16-15, 6-11 ACC) move to the second round of the NIT tournament, where they will face St. John's Monday night at 7:30 on the road.
Virginia never trailed in the game and opened an early 12-point lead. Brown battled back to chisel the lead down to four at halftime and cut it to one, 47-46, with just over two minutes elapsed in the second half.
But Virginia responded with a 10-0 burst, capped by a breakaway dunk by Watson. This was the last time that the Bears would get within six, as the Cavaliers led by double-digits for the game's last nine minutes to snap the 13-game postseason skid.
"It's been a while since the program has gotten a postseason win and that's a big step for the program," Virginia junior guard Todd Billet said. "We just want to keep it going. The NIT could become a lot of fun."
Watson went 11-of-16 from the field and made all six free-throws. At one point during the second half Watson reeled off nine straight points.
Travis "has played through tons of injuries his whole career," Billet said. "He comes to play every night whether he's hurting or feeling 100 percent."
Watson was certainly not the only Cavalier who was banged up. Freshman forward Derrick Byars missed the game with a sprained left ankle and senior center Jason Rogers was out with mononucleosis. Billet also missed practice this week with a bruised hip and sophomore forward Elton Brown jammed his knee in practice.
"It was a character win because guys were sick and hurt," Gillen said. "I thought Travis was going to throw up on the bench. We're very happy with the victory and can extend our season with a young team."
Virginia junior center Nick Vander Laan also had 13 points and nine rebounds, coming up one rebound short of his first double-double of the season.
"I knew that if we won tonight, it would feel like the monkey's off of everyone's back," Vander Laan said. "I just wanted to get out there and play as hard as I could to get a win for this program."
The Cavalier starting frontline combined for 48 points, with all three starters having a height advantage on the Bears' 6-foot-7 center.
"We knew they'd go inside offensively but we're just not a strong team inside," Brown coach Glen Miller said. "We're overmatched in size, strength and athleticism. There wasn't much margin for error for us. Defensively, we couldn't stop them."
The Cavaliers held three-time All-Ivy guard Earl Hunt to just 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting.
"Jason Clark did a good job on him early," Gillen said. "We set the tone on him early. He did a great job."
Brown got a number of inside looks and lay-ups, but could not convert. Junior guard Patrick Powers led Brown with 18 points, despite having to cope with a death in his family.
"We couldn't finish point blank range," Miller said. "They blocked shots and intimidated us on the inside. In our league, those are scores but against big, rugged guys who body you, it changes our shots a little bit."
Read More
With dominant play, No. 7 seed Virginia men’s tennis storms through NCAA Regionals
By Margaret Piatos | 5 hours agoVirginia advanced to the third round for the sixth year in a row.
As the postseason approaches, Virginia softball aims to surprise
By Emory Huffman , Ben McNiff and Cierra Lyles | YesterdayThree beat writers discuss expectations for Virginia and assess its season so far.
No. 7 women’s tennis cruises through NCAA Championship regional
By Gracie Genereux | YesterdayVirginia advanced to the third round for the fifth straight year.
