Coming off of a devastating loss against a struggling Notre Dame squad, Virginia (11-3, 2-1 ACC) recovered hope for this season and their young team in Wednesday’s matchup against the Cardinals (5-8, 0-2 ACC).
Though they opted for a familiar starting lineup, the Cavaliers showed a new side of their game to start play at John Paul Jones Arena. Graduate forward Jake Groves got things started for Virginia, opening the squad’s account with a baseline mid-range jump shot courtesy of a feed from sophomore guard Andrew Rohde.
After Rohde made his first three-point attempt of the night, Groves began a rebounding blitz that left him with five rebounds at halftime and gave the Cavaliers a big boost in one of the weakest areas of their game. Off of Groves’ second rebound, senior guard Reece Beekman added his first points of the game with a floater just inside of the free-throw line.
Beekman kept a good thing going, with his and the team’s next conversion coming from a similar shot from the paint. He also facilitated scoring opportunities for other players, feeding junior guard Taine Murray for a three pointer off of a screen and getting the ball to freshman center Blake Buchanan in the paint for a dunk that brought him his first points in the last four games.
The Cavaliers’ leading man wasn’t without fault, however, as he made an uncharacteristically sloppy inbound pass that was stolen. It wasn’t long before he made up for it by making another spectacular play to find sophomore guard Ryan Dunn for a layup off of a lob. Beekman also surpassed the 500 assists mark for his career — nearing the top five leaders in school history.
Dunn was all over the court in the waning minutes of the half, posting three rebounds and eight points after that initial alley-oop, finishing just how he started with an electric slam off of another trademark fast-break lob from Beekman. The Cavaliers went into halftime with a commanding 37-22 lead.
Buchanan got things going for the Cavaliers in the second half, making two early free-throw attempts, snagging two quick rebounds and getting the ball to Dunn for a highlight-reel, one-handed slam that brought the crowd to its feet.
Just as it seemed that the regulars for the Cavaliers were beginning to have their way, Murray came out of nowhere to make multiple slashes to the rim — ultimately tallying his most points in a game since his freshman campaign. Murray began with a beautiful reverse layup coming across the baseline and continued to put pressure on the Cardinals’ defense, adding seven more points of his own before the play clock struck zero.
Sophomore guard Isaac McKneely also found his consistent stroke from beyond the arc in the latter half of the game, making three straight attempts and making two excellent shots for an additional four points. Groves and Buchanan both contributed meaningful rebounds and strong defense in the post to protect a large Virginia lead and solidify the 77-53 victory.
The key for the Cavaliers lies in their ability to out-rebound opponents, and they did so last night, getting seven more rebounds than Louisville with some undersized forwards presenting themselves as a force in the post. After reeling from uncompetitive losses marked by poor rebounding, a conference victory was just what Virginia and Coach Tony Bennett needed.
“It was a step in the right direction,” Bennett said. “For sure.”
The win proved to be one of the Cavaliers’ most well-rounded performances of the year so far, with McKneely, Murray, Dunn and Beekman all attaining double-figure point totals and the team turning the ball over only three times, a season low. With the young squad still assembling its identity, strong performances are a shining synthesis of Bennett’s arduous offseason efforts.
“We’re throwing them into situations that are challenging,” Bennett said. “But I think hopefully we’ll produce a good harvest, whenever that is.”
The revitalized Cavaliers clearly produced for a full 40 minutes Wednesday and will look to build on the positive outcome when playing in Raleigh for their matchup against NC State Saturday. Virginia’s first conference road game tips off at 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on ACC Network.
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