The Virginia men’s basketball team continued its high-energy play last night but was unable to prevent a 62-55 loss against Miami in John Paul Jones Arena.
“It wasn’t a great performance or display on either end,” Virginia coach Dave Leitao said.
Leitao stuck with the same starting lineup that propelled the team to win two of its last three games. Freshman center Assane Sene and junior forward Solomon Tat played in the first few minutes to give the team a boost of energy. Unfortunately, Sene sprained his right ankle at the end of the first half, limiting him to just nine minutes of playing time.
The team’s early game plan seemed to work, as Virginia (9-15, 3-10 ACC) sprinted out to an early 10-point lead with 11:38 left in the first half. The Cavaliers’ physical defense was able to hold the Hurricanes’ leading scorer, senior guard Jack McClinton, in check, as he failed to score until just more than four minutes left in the half.
“There’s no question that it’s really good for us this time of year as we continue to move forward to get some more production out of other guys,” Miami coach Frank Haith said, ”when they see that Jack’s not having a great night and we can still win the game.”
Miami was able to battle back and tie the game at 29 entering halftime. The Hurricanes (17-10, 6-8 ACC) spread the ball around well in the first half, with seven players scoring at least three points and no player scoring more than junior forward Adrian Thomas’s six. Senior forward Brian Asbury ended up leading Miami with 13 points in the game.
The contest stayed tight early in the second half, with frequent lead changes and pivotal plays. Miami’s opportunistic defense was able to capitalize on several Virginia offensive miscues, earning six consecutive stops on defense in the final five minutes. Following the turnovers, Miami held onto the ball, draining precious time and eliminating the Cavaliers’ rally hopes. McClinton made a three-pointer with just less than a minute left for the final dagger.
Overall, the Hurricanes scored 22 points off turnovers compared to Virginia’s seven.
“Under four minutes, it was a combination of tentativeness and just not making the right passes,” Leitao said.
Throughout the game, Virginia players made several acrobatic plays, like sophomore guard Jeff Jones’s athletic block to close the first half. Fifth-year senior Tunji Soroye continued the theme with two early blocks to start the second period, at one point swatting away what appeared to be a sure-fire dunk.
The Hurricanes do not play again until a March 4 date with Georgia Tech on the road. With another game March 7 against N.C. State, Miami will be looking to keep pace in the conference and earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Virginia faces a quicker turnaround, taking on Wake Forest a mere two days from now in JPJ.
Leitao insisted the team will be prepared for Sunday’s matchup.
“It’s somewhere around 40 hours — give or take — before we’ve got to get on the court again,” Leitao said. “This is the third time that we’ve done it. Fortunately or unfortunately, [Wake Forest] play[s] tonight, and they’ve got to travel, so we’ll be equally challenged on the physical part of it.”
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