Coming off of a narrow double-overtime win at Notre Dame Tuesday, No. 17 Virginia added another road win to its record, defeating a struggling Boston College in another close game. Trailing at halftime and struggling to score from the perimeter against an energetic defense, the Cavaliers (18-3, 7-2 ACC) focused their second-half offense to the interior and stifled the Eagles’ (9-12, 2-6 ACC) offense late to cement a 73-66 win.
“I’m really proud of the guys,” Coach Ryan Odom said. “Gritty effort overall. To come away this week with two wins on the road is really difficult and I’m proud of the execution down the stretch.”
The Cavaliers did not lead at all in the first half, tying the score twice but trailing for the 14 minutes leading up to halftime. The Eagles were scoring more efficiently — shooting 50 percent from the field and 42 percent from three-point range — but failed to extend the lead beyond seven. Sophomore guard Fred Payne led the half in scoring with 11, with junior forward Boden Kapke adding an efficient nine of his own.
Despite making only two of 16 three-point attempts and 36 percent of all field goals in the first half, Virginia managed to keep the game close simply by taking more shots. Five more field goal attempts on the half, even with low percentages, afforded the Cavaliers the points needed to keep the deficit in single digits. Three first-half offensive rebounds from senior center Ugonna Onyenso and two from freshman guard Chance Mallory contributed to the eight second-chance points through the first 20 and the 21-17 rebounding margin at halftime.
Entering halftime trailing 32-27, Virginia returned to the court with an offensive strategy focused more on drives than hunting three-pointers. Freshman forward Thijs De Ridder opened the scoring 21 seconds into the period, initiating a 12-6 run that would earn the Cavaliers’ their first lead of the game at the 15:30 mark. An and-one layup by junior guard Sam Lewis punctuated that quick four-minute run, during which Virginia shot 6-9 from the field and outrebounded Boston College 7-3.
The Eagles managed to erase the Cavaliers’ first lead just a couple of minutes later, with most of their second half scoring coming at the charity stripe. A quick seven personal fouls placed Boston College in the bonus with nearly 14 minutes of game left, allowing them consistent scoring opportunities with 22 free-throw attempts in the second half alone.
The Eagles, however, have a season free-throw percentage of 66 percent, and made only 14 of those 22 free throw attempts. Virginia, in turn, went 12-14 from the line, while also scoring 24 points in the paint. De Ridder and graduate student guard Malik Thomas combined for 23 points in the second half as the Cavaliers continued to struggle from deep but focused their offense into drives and rim attempts.
“Part of the conversation [at halftime] was to make sure we were taking the right threes,” Odom said. “Don’t just shoot threes to shoot threes when potentially there might be some drives to the basket. I think in the second half the guys did a nice job of attacking.”
After Boston College retook the lead at the 11-minute mark, a quick pair of baskets — a physical layup from De Ridder and a three pointer from graduate guard Jacari White — gave Virginia control again just a minute and a half later. Boston College spent the remainder of the game playing from behind, and a five-minute field goal drought towards the last minutes of play sealed the game. Clutch play from Mallory, Onyenso and graduate guard Dallin Hall kept the lead just large enough to secure the win.
Now halfway through conference play, Virginia has exited the harder stretch of its schedule with only two losses against ACC opposition. Playing six of nine games on the road, the Cavaliers will now play six of their 10 remaining regular-season fixtures in Charlottesville.
“It’s not easy to win on the road,” Odom said. “It doesn’t matter what league you’re in, it’s difficult. We can’t pat ourselves on the back, there’s more road games to come, we’ve got to be good at home and it’s a tough conference this year.”
Next, the Cavaliers will return to Charlottesville for a Tuesday night matchup against Pittsburgh. The Panthers (9-13, 2-7 ACC) have struggled in conference play, including a 41-point loss to Louisville at home. Though not a strong shooting team with poor defense through recent stretches, they are strong on the offensive glass and have a competitive starting lineup that recently led them to an overtime win over Wake Forest. That game will be streamed on ACC Network.
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