Coming off of their first road win of the season in Atlanta against Georgia Tech, the Cavaliers (14-5, 5-3 ACC) looked to continue their dominance at home in a much-awaited rematch against NC State (13-6, 5-3 ACC), who tallied a 16-point victory over Virginia in Raleigh, N.C. mere weeks ago. Coach Tony Bennett returned to what has been working as of late, keeping graduate forward Jordan Minor in the starting lineup to offer some much-needed power in the post while relying on junior guard Taine Murray to add some firepower off the bench. The adjustments continued to work, as Virginia came away with a 59-53 overtime win.
The Cavaliers started off in uncharacteristic form, grabbing a string of valuable offensive rebounds to extend their opening possession for over a minute to begin the game. They could not convert many offensive opportunities though, as they missed their first five attempts. Minor was unable to make two shots in the post as he struggled to counter the overwhelming size of the Wolfpack’s graduate forward DJ Burns Jr.
Senior guard Reece Beekman was able to get things going for Virginia with a slashing drive to the rim that resulted in two points and a foul. He then immediately picked up a quick steal on the other end, but it was quickly negated with a botched pass on the following fast break. Bennett called his first timeout around the 15-minute mark trailing just 6-3.
Sophomore guard Ryan Dunn came out of the timeout firing on all cylinders, grabbing a quick rebound, fighting through a contested layup and blocking junior forward Mohamed Diarra in the post. The Cavaliers then forced a shot clock violation as their pressure on defense began to mount.
Sophomore guard Isaac McKneely finally got going with a three-point shot courtesy of a pass from redshirt junior guard Dante Harris. This could not stop Virginia from falling into another offensive slump, however, as the Cavaliers missed four attempts before Minor grabbed an offensive rebound and put up two points to get them back on track.
Towards the end of the half, Minor began to find his stride defending the towering Burns, keeping him away from the rim despite his best efforts to back him down in the post. He also found his footing on offense, drawing a foul on one possession and then backing down Burns for two points of his own.
He then came through with the first highlight play of the night, an offensive rebound and putback dunk in front of a raucous student section. Stellar defensive play in the post from the Cavaliers continued, as Dunn and freshman forward Blake Buchanan joined forces to block Diarra once again. Beekman continued the aggressive play with another successful drive to the rim.
Sandwiched between two timeouts were two of the Cavaliers’ best plays of the night — another Buchanan block resulting from suffocating pressure in the post followed by a powerful two-handed dunk from Minor off of a sneaky pass from Beekman at the top of the key.
Right before halftime, Dunn got himself another two points on a creative high-flying floater off of a missed shot. Murray then followed that up with a three-pointer from the corner off of a pass from Beekman.
The second half started out hot for the Cavaliers, with Beekman finding a pocket in the defense for a drive and a layup. On the following possession, McKneely drove down the baseline and dished it to Dunn underneath the basket for an easy two points.
Minor continued his stellar play with two rebounds, one of them an offensive grab that he capitalized on with a putback. Dunn also found himself at the center of play, grabbing a rebound of his own and making a great midrange fadeaway shot. Much of the second half proved to be rather quiet for the Cavaliers, as the Wolfpack slowly crept back into the game, reducing the deficit to just one point after a Diarra layup with just five minutes left to play.
A layup from graduate guard Michael O’Connell gave NC State the lead for the first time since their 6-5 lead early in the first half. The two sides went back and forth for the rest of regulation time, with a Beekman three-point play and two clutch turnovers giving Virginia the advantage only for O’Connell to strike once again with a putback. A last-second, one-handed heave from graduate guard Casey Morsell just narrowly evaded the basket to bring overtime to John Paul Jones Arena.
Minor began overtime with a putback off of a drive by Dunn. And although these two had their moments in the waning minutes of the game, Murray left an indelible mark on the night’s proceedings, nailing a three-point attempt under dire circumstances and making three of four shots from the free throw line to solidify the Cavalier lead.
A couple of difficult contested three-pointers from graduate guard DJ Horne kept the game within arm’s reach, but it ultimately made no difference, as a cross-court pass from Murray to a wide-open Dunn resulted in a ferocious one-handed slam that sealed the deal for Virginia. The Cavaliers extended their home win streak, which is the longest in the nation, in a dramatic fashion that captivated the packed crowd of faithful Cavalier fans.
The contest was not just significant because of its gripping result. It signified the return of a former Cavalier in Morsell, who transferred from Virginia three years ago and has made his home in Raleigh, N.C. ever since. As has been characteristic of games in the past, Virginia fans took it upon themselves to attempt to jeer him into submission.
The relentless taunting did not seem to accomplish much, as Morsell led the Wolfpack with 13 points, including highlight moments such as an acrobatic take to the rim coming off of the baseline. Still, the mighty Virginia defense was able to keep NC State’s attack under control while Minor and Murray continued to prove their worth offensively. After the game, Bennett emphasized Murray’s importance.
“Taine came in and gave us a great lift. I was so proud of him and happy for him,” Bennett said. “We’ve been using ‘don’t grow weary in doing good in due time,’ and he found himself ready.”
Like Murray, the Cavaliers are heating up at a crucial juncture as the team will look to build on two straight wins in their next matchup, an away contest at Louisville Saturday that tips off at noon and will be broadcast on the CW.
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