RALEIGH, N.C. -- Another second-half, another blown lead for Virginia. After holding as much as a 14-point advantage, the Cavaliers found themselves behind by three points with three minutes remaining Saturday night at N.C. State. Virginia coach Pete Gillen, however, was determined that this familiar script would have a different ending.
"I threw the board down and I said, 'We're going to win,'" Gillen said. "The pieces went all over the place."
The guarantee Gillen made to his team with 3:01 showing on the clock held true in the end. The Cavaliers kept the Wolfpack to only three points in those final three minutes, and freshman Sean Singletary grabbed a rebound off his own miss and converted on a short jump shot with 1.7 seconds remaining to break a 62-62 tie. Sophomore forward Jason Cain intercepted the ensuing N.C. State inbound to secure the 64-62 Virginia victory.
The win over the Wolfpack (13-9, 3-6 ACC) snapped a three-game losing streak for the Cavaliers (11-9, 2-7), who return home for games this week against Florida State and Virginia Tech.
"We were pretty much desperate for a win," Singletary said. "And we got it, so our confidence is pretty high right now."
Gillen featured a smaller lineup to adjust to the Wolfpack offense, starting guards T.J. Bannister, J.R. Reynolds and Singletary along with forwards Devin Smith and Cain. Center Elton Brown, who averages over 31 minutes per game, saw only four minutes of floor time.
The lineup shuffle paid off, as the Cavaliers had one of their best defensive efforts of the season after giving up 110 points and 98 points in their last two games against North Carolina and Providence, respectively. The Wolfpack shot only 40 percent from the field, including a 9-for-26 performance in the second half. Reynolds, who shot 0-for-7, contributed on the defensive end, holding star N.C. State forward Julius Hodge to only six points.
The undersized Cavs also found a way to out-rebound their opponents, pulling down 33 boards to the Wolfpack's 22.
"Coach Gillen tells us to box out, and we finally started doing it," said Bannister, who along with Smith led the Cavaliers with 14 points. "He tells us a lot of stuff to do, and it's up to us if we do it or not. We have players that are hard-headed and don't really listen to what he tells us, and that's why we get out-rebounded sometimes."
After averaging only 1.7 boards per game coming into the N.C. State contest, Cain pulled down a game-high nine rebounds in a breakout performance. The sophomore forward also provided a spark on the offensive end in the second half. With the Cavaliers down by three, he hit a pair of free throws with 2:41 remaining and, after a Virginia stop on the ensuing possession, threw down a dunk on the fast break to put the Cavaliers back on top, 60-59.
The two teams exchanged baskets the next two possessions, and N.C. State had the ball with only 33 seconds left, down by one point. Wolfpack center Cedric Simmons drew a foul in the paint with 0:16 on the clock, but made only one of the two free throws.
After Singletary's basket put Virginia up by two, Cain knocked away an N.C. State inbound as the buzzer sounded. The play was waved back, however, as the officials started the clock too early. The Wolfpack was unable to capitalize on its second chance either, as Cain once again got in the way of the down-court heave and broke up the pass.
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