WINSTON-SALEM -- Shocked, dazed, stunned. All words suitable for the feeling the men's basketball team had after Wake Forest came out firing Saturday afternoon.
Down 35-10 after just 10 minutes of play, the Cavaliers spent the rest of the afternoon scratching and clawing their way back into the game. But ultimately, they fell short, suffering a 91-78 defeat at the hands of the nation's No. 17 team.
"The big key to the game was [Wake Forest] came out tremendously well the first four or five minutes," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said. "We took some bad threes; they got long rebounds and pushed it, which freed up their fast break."
The much-hyped matchup of Virginia's freshmen against Wake Forest freshman sensation Chris Paul dissipated quickly, as it was the sophomores who took center stage. Demon Deacon sophomore Justin Gray, an Oak Hill Academy graduate, lit up the Cavaliers for 26 points, six rebounds and four assists. He led Wake in all three statistical categories.
"Gray was on fire tonight," Gillen said. "He really hurt us out there. They were doing a great job of hitting threes off the break."
As for the Cavaliers, their own sophomore spectacle Derrick Byars reemerged from the shadows of the bench to provide Virginia with 18 points, four rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes of play.
Hitting double digits in eight of the team's first 10 games, Byers recently cooled off, not reaching double figures in any of his last seven games.
"My confidence has always been there," Byers said. "I haven't lost it at all. All I can do is do my part, stay in the game and keep working hard."
Byers was not the only Cavalier to have an impressive showing on Saturday. Junior Elton Brown reappeared in the starting lineup for the first time since the Georgia Tech game Jan. 15. He took full advantage of his return to the spotlight by dropping 24 points and grabbing five rebounds.
After Wake's starting center sophomore Eric Williams picked up his fourth and fifth fouls, Brown exploded for a monstrous 20-point second half, which was instrumental in the Cavaliers mounting an attempted comeback.
"I thought we had some plusses today," Gillen said. "We got whacked, but Derrick [Byers] played well. I also thought Elton [Brown] did a good job. We could've been beaten by a lot more than 13, but we kept swinging. We showed some character. But that's what is expected of our team."
Poor three-point shooting plagued the Cavaliers throughout the game. Going 0-12 from behind the arc left Virginia without the horsepower needed to make a charge at such an elite team. The Demon Deacons, on the other hand, shot 9-19, hitting six out of their first six attempts, from three-point land.
"We were hoping to get it under 10 with 10 minutes to go," Gillen said. "It's just tough when you dig a hole. They came out on fire. Six for six from behind the three point line and they were tough shots. You just take your hat off to them and give them a lot of credit."
The Cavaliers will not have long to recover from this loss as the Maryland Terrapins invade University Hall Thursday at 9 p.m. It is then that Virginia will try to make all of its plusses add up to its first victory in over two weeks
Read More
'The Måns Dahlberg show' is kicking into gear, just in time for Virginia’s title chase
By Thomas Baxter | YesterdayHe's one man during the first few months of the season, quite another in the final two.
TILOCK: The real Virginia baseball just stood up
By Xander Tilock | 2 days agoThe Cavaliers' chronic issues are dwindling, and underperforming stars are ascending.
Dietrich’s comeback clincher sends No. 7 seed men’s tennis to NCAA quarterfinals
By Margaret Piatos | 3 days agoFor the 18th time in 20 years, Virginia is headed to the quarterfinals.
