Gillespie and the Vols prove too much for the Wahoos
Ja’Kobi Gillespie scored 21 points, including four huge free throws down the stretch, and Tennessee got four others in double figures in a 79-72 win over UVa in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday night.
With the win the Volunteers (24-11) advanced to the Sweet 16 in Chicago while UVa’s season ended with a 30-6 record.
It was a tough night for the Wahoos, especially in the first half, as they were good from beyond the arc but couldn’t seem to score inside. While they made things interesting late in the second half and briefly took the lead with 2:03 left, the Cavaliers ultimately couldn’t make the plays on either end to finish off the comeback.
Thijs De Ridder had a game-high 22 points, including a 4-for-6 showing from long range. UVa also got 12 points from Malik Thomas (who played just 15 minutes in the game), and 10 each from Jacari White and Chance Mallory in the loss.
Virginia, which saw Tennessee carry an 18-8 advantage in paint scoring into the half, was strong inside the arc in the second half, making the final margin inside 28 to 26. The teams each had nine second-chance points.
So what was routinely UVa’s strength all year played into Tennessee’s hands, as the Hoos were bothered early and often with the length and athleticism of the Vols. UT led for 33:23 of the game, typically by two or three possessions. Each time it looked like the Cavaliers were about to make a move, the Vols slammed the door.
They took the lead in earnest thanks to a 12-0 run leading into the under-8 timeout in the first half. Trailing by eight, Ryan Odom couldn’t wait for the media timeout and had to burn his use-it-or-lose-it timeout.
By the time the final stoppage came with 2:41 left until the break, it was 33-25 with White going to the line for a 1-and-1 opportunity, as the Wahoos had missed their last five shots in a row and 12 of their previous 14.
The five-point Tennessee lead at the break hung around for most of the second half, that is until Dallin Hall scored on a pair of drives and then Johann Grunloh dunked with 5:23 left, to make it 66-64 leading into a Tennessee timeout.
When De Ridder was fouled following an offensive rebound, his two free throws tied it at 66-66 with 4:41 remaining.
The Cavaliers took that 71-70 lead with 2:03 left thanks to a De Ridder 3-pointer but the Vols took the lead back for good following two free throws from Nate Ament. He finished with 16 points on 4-for-11 shooting but was 7-for-8 at the free-throw line. UVa as a team took just 11 free throws on the night.
Virginia had chances to draw close or possible lead, but couldn’t make the plays. A wide-open 3-pointer from White failed to draw iron and an inbounds pass when the team was down five was thrown to a Vols defender by Hall.
In addition to Gillespie and Ament, Tennessee also got 13 from Bishop Boswell and 10 from both JP Estrella and Jaylen Carey.
