White's late 3, Mallory's three FTs help UVa beat Miami

No. 14 UVa outlasted Miami 86-83 in an epic game at JPJ on Saturday afternoon, as three free throws from Chance Mallory with 3.6 seconds remaining gave the Hoos a hard-fought W in a matchup that could have gone either way.

The Cavaliers, who rallied from 11 down in the first half to win their eighth game in a row, held the Hurricanes to just 40 percent shooting in the second.

Saturday’s victory came in front of a sold-out crowd, as just prior to the top UVa dedicated the John Paul Jones Arena floor to former head coach Tony Bennett. Many of Bennett’s former players were on hand, including 2016 ACC Player of the Year Malcolm Brogdon. 

UVa (24-3, 12-2 ACC) got off to a good start, with Johann Grunloh hitting a corner 3 to open the scoring. The Cavaliers led 11-7 at the first media timeout, but the Hurricanes mixed in some 2-3 zone and went on a quick 6-0 run, forcing Ryan Odom to take a timeout. The Canes kept pouring it on, however, ultimately going on a 17-2 spurt to give them a 24-13 advantage.

A Thijs De Ridder transition layup off of a turnover and a Sam Lewis 3-pointer the Wahoos back to a two-possession deficit at 24-18 and forced Miami to call a timeout of its own. 

Virginia finally retook the lead with 5:15 left in the first half, on another Grunloh 3-pointer. After missing six 3s in a row and starting 1-for-6, UVa made four in a row and made seven total before halftime. It was back-and-forth from there, but the Hurricanes closed the half on a 8-0 run, including a pair of 3s from guard Tru Washington and a transition layup from Timotej Malovec right before the horn, to give Miami a 44-39 halftime advantage. 

In the second half, UVa quickly made up their deficit, and led 51-47 after a deep Mallory 3 with 15:58 remaining. From there, it was again a back-and-forth affair, with neither team able to separate by more than a bucket for more than 10 minutes of game action. De Ridder tied the game at 59-59 on a floater in the lane with 11:33 to go, and then scored on UVa’s next possession, which kickstarted a mini run for the Wahoos. UVa’s quick 11-2 spurt was punctuated with a Mallory transition layup that forced Miami’s Jai Lucas to call a timeout with 8:54 left in the game, down 68-61. 

Miami (21-6, 10-4) would answer again, though. A second-chance 3 by Donaldson kicked off a quick 10-2 spurt that again forced Odom to take a timeout, down 71-70 with 5:19 to go. A De Ridder turnover led to a run out and extended Miami’s lead to three, but an and-one bucket from the Belgian forward tied the game, and a Jacari White 3-pointer gave UVa a 76-75 lead into the final media timeout. 

The teams traded buckets, but a block by De Ridder led to a White burying a transition 3 and giving the Hoos a 83-79 lead with 1:11 left. But again, the Canes answered. A tip-in by Ernest Udeh and a layup from Malik Reneau tied the game with 7 seconds remaining. In transition as the final seconds ticked down, Mallory was fouled on a 3-point attempt, and hit all three free throws. After Miami got the ball to midcourt and called timeout, De Ridder picked off a Canes pass as they attempted to tie the game, sealing the win for the Wahoos.

UVa came out on top in a well-played game by both teams. Miami shot 50 percent from deep (9-of-18) and was nearly perfect at the line, going 16-of-17. The Cavaliers also went 50 percent from long range, making 12 of 24 attempts, and went 16-of-18 at the line. 

It was a team effort for the Hoos, who had six players score in double figures, led by White’s 17 points off the bench. Grunloh came up big on both ends, with 12 points and 5 blocks. Lewis added 15 points, while De Ridder added 14 and Malik Thomas finished with 10.

For the Hurricanes, Donaldson and Shelton Henderson led the way with 18 each while Reneau added 16.  

With the victory, UVa now holds a two-game lead over the third-place Hurricanes with four games to play. Virginia is back in action on Tuesday night, when the Cavaliers host NC State (19-8, 10-4 ACC) at JPJ.