Charlottesville VA
Ralph Sampson is part of a group that has purchased the Legendary
White spot diner on the # UVA Corer. EM-SPORTS 3/24/21
|
Bracket Set for 2021 New York Life ACC
Tournament
GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) –The Atlantic Coast Conference has announced the seedings and pairings for the 68th annual New York Life ACC Tournament,
which will be played Tuesday through Saturday (March 9-13) at Greensboro Coliseum.
After winning its fifth ACC regular-season championship in the last eight years, Virginia (17-6, 13-4 ACC) earned
the tournament’s No. 1 seed and a double bye into the quarterfinals on Thursday. No. 2 Florida State (15-5, 11-4), No. 3 Virginia Tech (15-5, 9-4) and No. 4 Georgia Tech (15-8, 11-6) also earned
double byes and will start tournament play on Thursday.
The tournament begins Tuesday with three matchups. No. 12 Pitt (10-11, 6-10) takes on No. 13 Miami (8-16, 4-15)
at 2 p.m., No. 10 Duke (11-11, 9-9) faces No. 15 Boston College (4-15, 2-11) at 4:30 p.m. and No. 11 Notre Dame (10-14, 7-11) plays No. 14 Wake Forest (6-15, 3-15) in the nightcap at 7 p.m. All three
games will be televised by ACC Network.
The second round on Wednesday starts at noon with No. 8 seed Syracuse (15-8, 9-7) taking on No. 9 NC State (13-9,
9-8). No. 5 seed Clemson (16-6, 10-6) faces the winner of the Pitt-Miami game at 2:30 p.m. In the evening session, No. 7 Louisville (13-6, 8-5) plays the winner of the Duke-BC matchup at 6:30 p.m.,
with No. 6 North Carolina (16-9, 10-6) facing the Notre Dame-Wake Forest winner at 9 p.m. The quartet of games will be televised on ACC Network.
The Wednesday winners then will move on to play the tournament’s top four seeds on Thursday in the quarterfinals,
which will be broadcast by ESPN or ESPN2.
All 14 tournament games will be nationally televised on ESPN, ESPN2 or ACC Network. In addition, all games will
be available for streaming via ACCNX.
The Greensboro Coliseum Complex has instituted the Patron Health Initiative, a program dedicated to the safety of
patrons, staff and performers stemming from the COVID-19 outbreak. Face coverings are mandatory for every person 5 years or older and must be worn at all times, except while actively eating and
drinking in your seat.
The full 2021 New York Life ACC Tournament schedule:
Tuesday, March 9 - First Round
2 p.m. – No. 12 Pitt vs. No. 13 Miami (ACC Network)
4:30 p.m. – No. 10 Duke vs. No. 15 Boston College (ACC Network)
7 p.m. – No. 11 Notre Dame vs. No. 14 Wake Forest (ACC Network)
Wednesday, March 10 - Second Round
Noon – No. 8 Syracuse vs. No. 9 NC State (ACC Network)
2:30 p.m. – No. 5 Clemson vs. Pitt/Miami winner (ACC Network)
6:30 p.m. – No. 7 Louisville vs. Duke/Boston College winner (ACC Network)
9 p.m. – No. 6 North Carolina vs. Notre Dame/Wake Forest winner (ACC Network)
Thursday, March 11 - Quarterfinals
Noon – No. 1 Virginia vs. Wednesday Noon winner (ESPN or ESPN2)
2:30 p.m. – No. 4 Georgia Tech vs. Wednesday 2:30 p.m. winner (ESPN or ESPN2)
6:30 p.m. – No. 2 Florida State vs. Wednesday 6:30 p.m. winner (ESPN or ESPN2)
9 p.m. – No. 3 Virginia Tech vs. Wednesday 9 p.m. winner (ESPN or ESPN2)
Friday, March 12 - Semifinals
6:30 p.m. – Thursday afternoon winners (ESPN or ESPN2)
9 p.m. – Thursday evening winners (ESPN or ESPN2)
Saturday, March 13 - Championship
|
|
MIKE BARBER Richmond Times-Dispatch
During the week, North Carolina coach Roy Williams worried about the matchup with Virginia’s slick-shooting forwards, Sam Hauser and Jay Huff.
Saturday night, his concern proved well warranted.
The duo combined for 35 points and hit seven of their team’s 10 made 3-pointers as No. 9 UVa took control early against Williams’ Tar Heels and never looked back en route to a 60-48 win at John
Paul Jones Arena.
Virginia (15-3, 11-1 ACC) seized control of the game with an early 21-2 run and its defense and ball security made sure it stayed out front the rest of the way.
“They were a little cold and we got into a rhythm offensively,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. “Then we got that separation.”
Williams called facing Virginia — with Hauser and Huff — the “biggest challenge” his team would face this season. He said he hoped the Heels could get Huff into foul trouble.
Instead, Huff committed just one second-half foul and finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds, his second double-double of the season.
Hauser added 17 points and five rebounds.
Just like a year ago, when UVa ended the season with eight straight wins heading into the ACC Tournament, which was canceled before the Cavaliers could play a game, Bennett’s club is heating up
down the stretch.
Virginia has now won four in a row and still sits atop the ACC standings, a game ahead of Florida State, which it plays on Monday night in Tallahassee, Fla.
Its last time out, North Carolina (12-7, 7-5) scored 50 points in the second half of its win over rival Duke. Saturday night, the Tar Heels failed to hit that total for the entire game, struggling
to hit shots or score in transition against the ACC’s top defensive team.
Virginia, which had seen its turnover total go up in each of its previous four games — from nine against Virginia Tech on Jan. 30, to 11 against North Carolina State, 12 against Pittsburgh and
then a whopping 17 the last time out against Georgia Tech — was far better with the basketball Saturday
Isaac McKneely, a 6’4”, 185-pound shooting guard prospect out of Poca (W.V.), is taking his talents to the
University of Virginia. The consensus 4-star junior has announced his verbal commitment to the Hoos over scholarship offers from Illinois, Indiana, Louisville, Purdue and West Virginia, among many
others, as well as heavy interest from Kentucky and North Carolin
UVA is getting a prospect who has earned high acclaim from national recruiting outlets for his talent, as well as high marks from those close to him
for his character. On the court, the standout prospect made 45% of his 3s while averaging 22 points per game for the Dots during his sophomore season. He is currently rated the No. 57 junior in the
nation and a 4-star prospect by Rivals.com, while 247Sports.com ranks him as a 4-star and the No. 62 prospect in the class of 2022.
Describing McKneely’s development over the past year, Poca head boys varsity basketball coach Allen Osborne said in this West Virginia Metro News article that “Isaac went from 6-foot-2, 150 pounds last year to 6-4, 185
right now. So his body is developing. He has gotten bigger, stronger and quicker. Most of the time he is working on his skill development. He is working out at home and in the gyms. He is dedicated
and wants to be a great player. His goal is to go somewhere and play immediately.
University of Virginia men’s basketball fans in the Eastern Time Zone are waking up to some good news on the recruiting front. Taine Murray, a 6’5”, 200-pound guard out
of Auckland, New Zealand, has committed to the Hoos.
Murray, who posted his announcement via Instagram at roughly 2:30 a.m. EST (6:30 p.m. in New Zealand), is UVA’s first pledge in the class of
2021.
Bryce Hall is Selected in the Fifth Round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the New York
Jets
UVA cornerback is the second Cavalier selected in 2020
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia senior cornerback Bryce Hall
(Harrisburg, Pa.) was selected by the New York Jets during Saturday’s fifth round of the National Football Draft. Hall was the 158th overall pick and the first cornerback drafted out of Virginia
since Tim Harris was taken by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round, 198th overall, in 2019.
Hall is the first Cavalier drafted by the Jets since 2013 when offensive tackle Oday Aboushi
was taken in the fifth round. Hall is the 10th Cavalier all-time to be drafted by the Jets.
Hall, a second-team All-American in 2018, suffered a season-ending injury in game No. 5 at Miami. Prior to injury, Hall didn’t allow a single catch on 52 press coverage snaps in 2019.
According to Pro Football Focus, Hall forced an incompletion on 24.8 percent of targets since 2017. That is the second-highest rate in college football over that span. As a junior in 2018, Hall led
the nation with 22 breakups and was tied for No. 1 in the nation with 24 passes defended. Hall earned first-team All-ACC accolades in 2018 and was a second-team All-American by the prestigious Walter
Camp Foundation and Football Writers Association of America.
photo by uvamenshoops@twitter.com
The #22 Virginia Cavaliers will be headed to the ACC Tournament with a double bye well earned. The Cavaliers have also secured a comfortable place in the NCAA tournament in two weeks as well.
However, one goal still remained, beat the #7 Louisville Cardinals.
The Cardinals has snapped a personal streak when they beat Virginia in the Yum! Center back in January. The loss was and is the only loss that Virginia has suffered in their last 11 games. A win
not only splits the season series, it captures the #2 seed in the ACC Tournament for the Cavs.
This game is even more meaningful because it marks the last home contest for Mamadi Diakite and Braxton Key and fan favorite, Grant Kersey, student manager/super sub. These two defensive stalwarts
have been cornerstones of excellence and effectiveness for the Cavaliers the last two seasons. Each was an integral part in the championship title run for the Cavaliers last year. The Mamadi floater
to tie the game in epic fashion versus Purdue in the Elite Eight and Braxton Let’s block time preserve the tie in the championship game against Texas Tech. Both plays ushered Virginia into overtime
battles which resulted in victories.
The offense and defense combined to give Virginia a quick 6-2 lead. With the crowd going crazy, the Cavaliers looked to take quick control. However, the Cardinals were just getting started. Steven
Enoch scored the first five points before his teammates jumped aboard. Louisville used some hot shooting form near and far to take a 20-15 lead and push the home volume down several notches.
Then a strange thing happened. Kihei Clark made a pinpoint alley-pop pass to Jay Huff for a traditional and-1 conversion. As Huff attempted the free throw, Louisville committed a lane violation.
The shot was missed, but Coach Chris Mack was visibly upset and demonstrative in argument with the call against his team. His frustration led to a technical foul. The Cavaliers capitalized. First,
Clark drilled the two technicals and then Huff completed his re-try at his free throw. All free throws went in and a five point deficit became a tied game. The huge momentum swing was just what the
team and crowd needed.
The final five minutes saw the Cavaliers outscore the Cardinals 16-4 is a seldom seen Cavalanche. Virginia entered the half with its largest lead at 31-24 and the Cardinals were looking for a
chance to re-group.
Clark was the leader at 11 points for the Cavs and four assists. Jay Huff added eight and Diakite has six. Steven Enoch paced the Cards with 11 points trailed by six from Jordan Nwora on two
three-pointers.
The Cavaliers committed just three turnovers compared to Louisville’s eight. Both teams were respectable from the field but Virginia had one more field goal while Louisville made twice as many
3-point shots (four versus two). Virginia was also a perfect 7 for 7 from the free throw line. Louisville attempted zero free throws.
Virginia flexed their muscle coming out the locker room. The Cavaliers answered every response by the Cardinals. At the 13:21 mark, they stretched the lead up to 14 at 43-29, when Tomas
Woldetensae finally splashed home a three pointer. Yet, the game was just beginning. Louisville found their offensive rhythm and proceeded to whittled the Virginia until they tied the game at 51 when
the teams Diakite’s lay-up was countered by a Darius Perry long range missile. The 22-8 Louisville scoring run made for a nail-biting finish in the last 5:11 of the game.
Then the Cavaliers responded like the mental giants they have been since January. The Cavaliers took the Cardinals best shot and made all the critical plays. The biggest play was a cold blooded
dagger by Kihei Clark with a three pointer to give the Cavaliers a 55-51 lead with 31 seconds left in the game. The game was effectively over, the defense allowed one field goal over that stretch and
the final points for Diakite in JPJ were two free throws to seal the win at 57-54.
The Cavaliers secured the #2 seed in ACC and finished regular season with eight consecutive victories and many with heart-breaking, gut wrenching performances. Virginia avenges their earlier lost
to Louisville and now look to continue the streak as postseason play begins for real with ACC next week then the Big Dance.
Clark lead the team with 18 points, Diakite had 17 points and eight rebounds in his swan song. Huff finished with 11. Braxton Key chipped in six points and seven rebounds. Jordan Nwora found his
stroke with 12 second half points and 18 for the game. He also cleared the boards, grabbing a game high 11 to earn his double-double. Steven Enoch who was the force in the first half, was
nonexistent in the second half and finished with the same total of 11 points he scored before halftime.
Louisville scored more from the three point line than Virginia ( nine vs four) but Virginia made quality stops and converted free throws at 15-20 whereas Louisville was only 7 for 9. The Cardinals
edged out Virginia with 31 rebounds to 30. Virginia nine assists to nine turnovers while Louisville had nine assists but 13 turnovers. Both defenses squeezed all they could out of the other and it
resulted in the following from both clubs (Cards @ 37%, Cavs @ 41%).
The loss makes the Cardinals 24-7 and 15-5 in ACC.
by EMSPORTS.org 3/07/2020
photo by Darrell Owens
In recent years, the Virginia-Duke rivalry has been as compelling as any matchup in the ACC. Both teams have battled for dominance and supremacy as they used this matchup as a tuneup for the
postseason.
Duke has won the last three meetings and six of the last regular season tilts, yet none were easy.
In the only contest this year before the tournament, the Blue Devils traveled north to Charlottesville looking to snap a two-game road losing streak and stay tied at the top of the standings.
Virginia was riding a five game winning streak and stood 1 game back in loss column of the three ACC leaders.
Virginia and Duke both showcased their strengths. The Cavaliers started strong g and backed by a frenzied crowd, they built a 11-6 lead. The Blue Devils didn’t falter and established the
inside-outside combo of Vernon Carey, Jr and Trey Jones. Those two propelled a run giving the visitors a 18-13 lead with about eight minutes to go in first half.
Virginia knew it needed to respond and not allow Duke to runaway. So the Cavaliers hit back with a mini-Cavalanche and found themselves up 21-18 on back to back dunks from Jay Huff.
Both teams played methodical but sloppy turnovers from Virginia allowed Duke to tie the game at 25-25 going into the intermission.
Duke turned up the full court pressure and some timely shooting gave the a quick three point lead at 31-28. For nearly eight minutes, Duke kept Virginia in chase mode until a Braxton Key lay-up tied
the game at 39-39 with under ten minutes to play. From that moment, it was nip and tuck to the finish.
The largest lead was only three points (Duke 42-39) while each squad played suffocating defense and flipped the lead back and forth into the waning seconds.
A goal-tend violation by Mamadi Diakite gave Duke its final lead at 50-49 with less than 40 seconds on the clock. Diakite redeemed himself on the next possession as he banked in a well choreographed
shot to give the Cavaliers the upper hand, a 51-50 lead with just under 14 seconds.
Duke had time and opportunity to score but a rare miss from Trey Jones was secured by Jay Huff. After a quick Duke foul, the Cavaliers needed to hit free throws to ice the game. The Cardiac Cavs were
once again living up to their name.
Braxton Key’s miss of an one-and-one gave Blue Devils hope. The long arms of Jay Huff dashed any final Blue Devil efforts as he batted away a Carey game winner and made one of two free throws with
nearly four seconds remaining.
Duke attempted a desperation three from Trey Jones but it caromed of the time and Virginia had finished off Duke in an entertaining, low-scoring affair.
The story was Jay Huff. He recorded a near triple-double with 15 points,10 blocks and nine rebounds. He got support from Diakite and Key who both had 14 points each. The Cavaliers packline defense
minimized Duke’s high powered offense, limiting them to under 31% for the game from the floor and anemic 4 of 17 from the 3pt arc (23.5%).
Virginia was good enough shooting 42% from the field and 30% from behind the arc. The Cavs also won the rebounding battle at 38-33 while committing 15 turnovers to Duke’s 10.
Carey and Jones ties for game high honors at 17 points each while no one else scored more than substitute Javin DeLaurier’s six.
The win gives Virginia a 21-7 record and 13-5 in ACC. The loss drops Duke into a tie at third with Virginia in conference and 23-6 overall.
photo by virginiasports.com
Virginia was looking to keep the momentum from the big win on the road at UNC. Their next challenge was to maintain homecourt advantage and beat a Boston College team who
upended the Cavaliers in Boston earlier in the year. The Virginia Cavaliers knew a tough game laid ahead. The Cavaliers still held out hopes of moving up the ACC standings and exacting some revenge against the Boston Colleg
Eagles who upset the Cavs about six weeks ago in Chestnut Hill. The upstart Boston College team was looking to capture another ACC road win and even their league
record.
Jay Huff set the tone for the evening. He knocked down his first two shots and gave
the Cavaliers their first five points. His three pointer gave Virginia an early lead and the offense never looked back. His third three of the game, gave UVA a 35-23 lead and capped a 6-0
run in the last 45 seconds of the half. The six points were part of a 10-4 run in the last four minutes of the half following Kihei Clark’s second foul.
Virginia’s defense was on display early with minimizing the Eagles shot efficiency and successful possessions. The Eagles shot a
porous 35% from the field and only 30% from behind the three-point line. In contrast, the Cavaliers were much sharper. The Cavaliers made 13 of their 26 shots and then hit 7 of 12 from
the 3pt land. The Cavaliers gathered 18 rebounds compared to the 14 of the Eagles.
Jay Huff brought the stuff and more. He led all scorers with 11 points and seven
rebounds. Tomas Woldetensae also scored 11 on the strength of (3) three-point shots. Jay Heath paced the Eagles with eight points.
BC came out hot and made the contest much closer with near 70% shooting early ito the second
half. However, their defense was as cold as their offense was hot. Virginia was even hotter with near perfect shooting and gained more ground from the free throw line. The Eagles
propensity to foul placed the Cavaliers in the bonus with over 13 minutes left in the second half.
However, the second half turned into a pop a shot exhibition and the Cavaliers were better than their opponents. The
halftime lead was safe but the Eagles were able to whittle the lead down to six, 45-39, at the 14:42 mark of the second half. The game changed and the lead never got any smaller. The
Cavaliers got the message, Key scored the next six consecutive points and the offense went into high gear. With several mini scoring runs, they eventually stretched the lead to as many
as 20 points (70-50) on the strength of a 9-0 burst.
Boston College was able to make a few more baskets to make the score more reasonable but the Cavaliers were never threatened in the
last 10 minutes of the game.
The Cavaliers placed five players in double figures in scoring their highest output of the season. Braxton Key and Kihei Clark
led the way with 17 points apiece. Woldetensae and Huff each had 14 and Mamadi Diakite added 10. Huff grabbed a team high eight rebounds. For Boston College, Nik Popovic led all
scorers with 22 while teammates Jay Heath and Jairus Hamilton each hit double figures, with 18 and 11, respectively.
Boston College improved their shooting to 46% for the game as well as making 8 of 22 three-point field goals. Conversely, the
Cavaliers didn't cool off after halftime. They made 13 of their 19 second half field goals shooting a blazing clip of 58% for the game. The Cavaliers shot the same as from the three-point
line as well making 10 of their 17 attempts. Both teams valued the ball committing less than 10 turnovers each. Virginia dominated from the field as well as from the free throw line where
they made 15 more than the Eagles and attempted 20 more overall.
The win boosts Virginia to 18-7 overall and 10-5 in the ACC. The loss makes Boston College 13-14 on the year and 7-9 in the
ACC.
EMSPORTS.org 2/19/2020
photo by virginiasports.com
Virginia gave every ounce of fight in losing at Louisville. The Cardinals were just a little better down the stretch. The Cavaliers losing was actually a gain in applying those tough lessons in
stealing victory from the jaws of defeat, beating a hot Notre Dame team 50-49 in overtime.
In a game where each team struggled to find an offensive rhythm, both also found more misses than makes and turnovers too. Virginia was the author of 13 turnovers compared to only 7 by the Irish.
However, the Cavaliers won in the important categories, rebounding, free throw shooting and final score.
The first half was a tug-of-war of wills. The phrase "anything you can do, I can do better", was certainly on display but not the way you think, Each team struggled from the field after a
solid start. The Irish made three of their first six shots, then a lid went on the goal. After many empty trips, over six minutes elapsed before ND scored again from Matt Mooney’s two free throws.
During that period, Virginia was not much better and held a tenuous lead. It wasn’t until the last eight minutes of the half before ND took control of the game and held a lead into the break
finishing the first half with a three pointer from TJ Gibbs at 26-22. Both teams endured multiple scoring droughts of minutes or more during the first half.
Notre Dame knocked down five 3pt shots and limited the Cavaliers to one of eight shooting from behind the arc. Mamadi Diakite led all scorers with nine points while Juwan Durham and Prentiss Hubb
both had six for the Irish. Neither team scorched the nets on offense. Each team shot well under 40% from the field.
The second half was a back and forth affair. The teams traded baskets and Notre Dame continued to hold a slight lead until Jay Huff flexed his scoring prowess. Nate Lazsewski converted a jumper to
give ND their biggest advantage at 38-33. Virginia made their move to regain the momentum and the lead.
Two free throws by Diakite was followed by eight straight points from Huff. He sandwiched a mid-range jumper in between two three pointers. Each jumper hit the target, and his personal 8 point
scoring streak pushed Virginia into a 43-38 lead.
With the momentum, Virginia looked on good shape to pull away from ND, however the last six minutes the Irish made the better decisions and took a late lead. Another late lead change, put Virginia
at brink of defeat.
Diakite saved the day with a game-tying jumper with 27 seconds left. Notre Dame missed a potential game winning shot and the contest needed more.
The first 40 minutes were not enough and the next five would settle this low scoring battle. The overtime was a mini version of the game. Both teams played extremely gritty defense which led to some
ugly shots, empty possessions and few results.
Virginia struck first with two more free throws from Diakite. Notre Dame answered with a Prentiss Hubb jumper and then it seemed to be a game where the next score wins.
Eventually the Cavaliers scored one more point, game winning free throw by Braxton Key. This was the last point scored all game as both teams went scoreless the last two plus minutes of
overtime.
Diakite was leader at 20 points while Braxton Key pulled down a team high 13 rebounds.
Prentiss Hubb pumped one a team high 12 points. Matt Mooney continued his double-double dominance recording 11 points and 14 rebounds. Nate Laszewski also scores 11 points.
The Cavaliers earned the victory by the slimmest of margins and improved to 16-7 overall and 8-5 in ACC. The defeat drips Notre Dame to 15-9 and 6-7 in ACC. ND faces Duke and UNC in upcoming
matchups. Virginia will travel to North Carolina before hosting Boston College.
by EMSPORTS.org 2/11/20
photo by virginiasports.com
The Virginia Cavaliers were back home to face the Clemson Tigers. They actually had not left since they lasted played eight days ago upsetting the #5 Florida State Seminoles.
The Cavaliers has waited with bated breath to keep the momentum going and the Tigers were next on the schedule.
Virginia has owned Clemson in the Tony Bennett era. Entering the game, Bennett’s teams were 11-3 overall versus Clemson and had a nine game winning streak. Clemson has been reeling on winning two
of their last five games since the big upset of #3 Duke.
Virginia started out with a 14-2 run and looked poised to blow the doors off Clemson. The defense held Clemson scoreless for nearly four minutes to open the game. Each starter contributed as
Braxton Key and Tomas Woldetensae made three pointers during the run while Jay Huff and Mamadi Diakite handled the inside scoring while Kihei Clark was driving and dishing.
Eventually Clemson settled in and played the Cavaliers even in the last 11 minutes of the half. Even though the defenses got tougher, Virginia was careful with the ball only committing two
turnovers compared to Clemson’s seven. Virginia held Clemson to their lowest scoring output for a half while also limiting the Tigers to 29% from the field.
Virginia led 26-14 on the strength of Braxton Key’s eight points and seven from Diakite. Clemson was able to stay within reason thanks to Aamir Simms’s five points.
The second half was similar to how the first half ended. Each team was trading baskets however Clemson started making a few more 3pts compared to the two point variety from Virginia.
With a lead of 33-24 midway thru the second half, Clemson locked in the defensive clamps and clawed their way back into the game. The Tigers put together a modest 10-3 run that included two
scoring droughts from UVA. The first drought lasted five and a half minutes was ended by a layup from Key. Then Clemson forced Virginia into another cold spell lasting almost four minutes. With the
score 36-34 in favor of the Cavaliers, Braxton Key did it again with a backbreaking three pointer giving Virginia a 39-34 and some much needed breathing room.
Clemson would get close only once more at 42-39 but Key made another important three pointer with only 1:28 left to break the Clemson comeback spirit.
Key was instrumental with 11 points in the second half, eight in the last five minutes. Key finished with 19 and eight rebounds. Diakite also grabbed eight boards and scored 13 points. Jay Huff
stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, 10 boards and four blocks. Kihei Clark led the team with 10 assists to offset his low scoring night. Virginia also swatted seven shots versus the Tigers who
only blocked two shots.
Aamir Simms led three Tigers with 16 points, Al-Amir Dawes chipped in 11 with eight rebounds while Tevin Mack gave the visitors 10 points.
Each team shot poorly from every aspect of the game. Neither team shot over 37% from the field, nor better than 36% from three-point arc. The free throws were only slightly better as Clemson shot
58% while the a Cavaliers shot 53%.
Virginia has now won three in a row a moved to 15-6 on the year with a 7-4 ACC record. Clemson fell to 11-11 and 5-7 in conference.
by EMSPORTS 2/05/2020
photo by virginiasports.com
The Virginia Cavaliers were at home looking for a marquee win. The Virginia Cavaliers were looking to stop a two-game home losing streak. In the last few
years, Virginia was generally the higher ranked team looking to avoid an upset. This matchup had the #5 Florida State Seminoles paying a visit to John Paul Jones Arena dressed as the
hunted not the hunter.
Less than two weeks ago, Florida State had won a very close contest in Tallahassee 54-50 and have been rolling ever since. The Seminoles were in the midst of a
10-game winning streak and had only lost once in their last 18 games.
The Seminoles started hot, hitting their first three shots and taking a quick 8-0 lead to the surprise of the Cavalier fanbase. After a few misses, Virginia slowly
crawled back into the game and knocked in their first shot came in by Braxton Key after three minutes had elapsed. The Cavaliers continued to tighten up their defense and then the offense
caught up.
The Seminoles kept a slim lead until a drive by Casey Morsell led to a bucket and a foul. The ensuing free throw was successful and Virginia tied the game at
14. The first tie since the opening tip.
After that both teams engaged in a seesaw affair with neither team getting much separation from one another. The largest lead was only three and the lead changed
four times before Florida State was able to slide into the half with a 28-27 lead.
The first half was marred by turnovers where Virginia had 10 of the 17 created by both teams. Each team shot over 40% from the floor and made multiple three
pointers.
The second half saw Florida State score early to push the lead to 30-27 before Virginia ran off a modest 8-0 spurt to gain their biggest lead of the night at
35-30. The Seminoles responded like the best team in the ACC and started a 10-4 spurt that gave the lead with under 10 minutes left in the half at 40-39.
Once again both teams began to trade the lead, reminiscent of the first half. After taking a 47-44 lead, the Cavaliers kept the pressure up and took the lead on
Kihei Clark’s two free throws with a little over six minutes left in the second half.
The Seminoles took the Cavaliers’ best shot and then responded with key baskets to maintain a 56-53 lead with just under two minutes. In all four of
Virginia’s ACC losses, they held a lead with under four minutes to play and could not close the deal. This time around, the tables were turned and the Cavs figured out how to make the key plays
and finish strong.
From the 2:20 mark until the final horn, the Cavaliers were the aggressor as well as the finishers. The courage of Kihei Clark to constantly drive into the “trees”
inside the Florida State defense paid off when he scored the game-winning layup with one-minute left. His bucket came in the midst of an 8-0 run to end the game.
Florida State had two opportunities to tie the game at 59 but came up woefully short on their consecutive three-point attempts. Braxton Key sealed the victory with
two free throws and the upset was complete.
Devin Vassell was a thorn in Virginia’s side all night. He scored FSU’s final points of the game and nearly shot them to a victory. He was clutch in several
moments and seemed to make plays all night long. He finished with team highs in points (17) and rebounds (6). His teammate, Raiquan Gray, added eight points. For Virginia, they got
a bulk of their scoring from the three upperclassmen in Mamadi Diakite with 19 points to lead everyone. Kihei Clark added 15 and Braxton Key contributed 13 points. Key and Diakite each
collected nine rebounds.
As a team, Virginia struggled with turnovers committing 17 for the game but they were dynamic on the boards with 36 to Florida State’s 23 and at the free throw line
where they converted 20 of 23 for the game including the last 7 in a row. Florida State only made 7 of their 11 attempts. The defenses were very good. FSU shot under 39% while UVA
was a little better at 43%. Florida State made seven of 20 from behind the 3pt line while Virginia cashed in on five of 12 shots from there.
The win gives Virginia (14-6, 6-4 ACC) a boost as they now wait eight days before welcoming the Clemson Tigers to Charlottesville. The loss is Florida State’s
(17-3) first since December 2019 and drops them into a second-place tie in the ACC with Duke at 7-2.
EMSPORTS 1/28/2020
The Virginia Cavaliers returned to John Paul Jones looking to build on the impressive road win at Georgia Tech.
The visiting NC State Wolfpack was also riding momentum beating Clemson at home. The Wolfpack was also trying to earn their first ever win in JPJ. Both teams were
tied at 4-3 in ACC play and this game would be crucial for ACC positioning in the standings.
NC State started strong and held the lead for the vast majority of the first half. The leader was DJ Funderburk who scored a game high 12 points in first half. The
Wolfpack could never pull away from the Cavs who were able to keep the gap at two, losing 28-26 at the half. Virginia was very sloppy with the ball with five turnovers in the first ten minutes. As
they settled in, so did NC Stare who answered every Virginia rally.
As the game enters into the second half, the visitors came out with the lead and the eye on the basket. NC State started fast, stunning the usually reliable Virginia
defense and silencing the crowd. A methodical 13-5 run out the Wolfpack up by 11 (42-31) with just under 14 minutes left to play. The Cavaliers were running in place and banging their heads against
the wall looking for an answer.
The solution was the Packline defense. In over 10 minutes, the Wolfpack couldn’t score if you put them under the basket. The Cavaliers put a stranglehold on their
opponents. The defense was throwing a shutout and the offense found its rhythm.
Virginia roared back with a 15-0 lead and took a 46-42 lead until NC State hot a much needed three pointer with under four minutes to go. The three pointer ignited
the team and gave them the extra surge to finish the game on an 11-5 run.
The Cavaliers saw another late game lead slip away. The unfortunate script of all their losses in the ACC thus far. NC State was good enough down the stretch in spite
of some poor free throw shooting. Funderburk led the way with 14 points and five rebounds before fouling out. CJ Bryce contributed 13 including the game
winning jumper.
Kihei Clark paced the Cavaliers with 10 points and was only Virginia player in double digits. Morsell had nine points and three other Cavs had eight apiece: Mamadi
Diakite, Jay Huff and Braxton Key.
Both teams struggled shooting as NC State 39% overall with 31% from 3pt land compared to Virginia’s 36% and porous 25% from behind the arc. The Cavaliers won the
rebounding battle, 40-30, as well as knocking down 80% from the free throw line.
NC State improves to 14-5, 5-3 in ACC while Virginia stands at 12-6 with a 4-4 record in conference.
EMSPORTS.org 1/20/2020
They say there is a first for everything. In some cases, you may wish the first was in your favor and not at your expense. The Syracuse Orange made a
point to return the loss of the first ACC game of the year that they were given by Virginia in the Carrier Dome. The road trip was successful 63-55 victory in OT.
Syracuse captured their first win ever in John Paul Jones and pulled off some revenge in the process. The visitors fought the #19 Virginia to a standstill in
regulation then pulled away in the overtime.
The scoring started slow for both teams as they each tried to find the range. Jay Huff opened the scoring for Virginia however Syracuse answered back and took an
early 7-5 at the first timeout.
Both offenses struggled as they looked for rhythm. Each team attempted numerous jumpers with very few positive results.
Syracuse was able to take a quick 17-11 lead on back to back threes from Elijah Hughes before Virginia used a quick burst to close the score to 17-15.
Syracuse regained its composure and expanded the lead before a Jay Huff outback slam closed the half at 24-20 Syracuse.
The first half was littered with sporadic offense, poor passing and turnovers. Virginia shot nearly 31% from the floor but converted just two three point shots.
Syracuse made four 3pt shots but only shot at a 26% clip but converted all four free throw attempts. The Orange collected 23 rebounds to the Cavaliers’ 21
while only having five turnovers compared to nine from Virginia.
Elijah Hughes and Joe Girard III paced Syracuse with eight points each. Three Cavs led their team with six each: Mamadi Diakite, Jay Huff and Kihei Clark.
The second half start was anemic as ice cold shooting hurt the Cavaliers. Syracuse was able to make just enough shots to take their largest lead at 30-23 after a
Elijah Hughes fast break funk. Then Virginia’s offense came alive. A much needed 12-0 spurt over the next seven minutes gave Virginia a reprieve from their poor performance and push their lead to
35-30 with just under ten minutes to play.
The last 10 minutes was equivalent to watching paint dry. Each team traded the lead with Virginia tying the game at 43-43 after a Huff stuff. Both teams had a chance
in regulation to win but neither shot found the mark.
Syracuse came out in the extra session on fire. The Orange knocked down three consecutive three point jumpers to take a 52-45 lead matching their biggest of the
evening. The Orange were near perfect in overtime. The made five of six threes and scored 20 points in OT to pull away with the upset.
Symbolic of how bad things were going for Virginia, Buddy Boeheim, Coach Jim Boeheim's son, flung a desparate heave from over 35 feet away that rattled into the
basket and broke the spirit of the Cavaliers in overtime.
Joe Girard finsihed with 19 points and Hughes added 18. Boeheim finished with 14. Jay Huff was the Cavalier leader with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Clark led the with nine assists to go with 13 points and Diakite also had 13 points with 8 rebounds.
The Hoos fall to 11-4 and 3-2 in ACC play with their second straight ACC loss. Syracuse moves to 9-7 and 2-3 in ACC play.
EMSPORTS.org 1/11/2020
photo by virginiasports.com
In many basketball circles, when the calendar turns into a new year, the belief is the real season begins. The new year of 2020 brings new challenges and none bigger than opening up ACC play with
your dreaded nemesis, the Virginia Tech Hokies.
Both teams found success in 2019, entering with near identical records. The Hokies are 10-3, 1-1 in ACC. The 19th ranked Cavaliers are 10-2 and 2-0 in the conference. This game would set the tone
for the remaining 18 games left in ACC play and as always, giving the winner bragging rights until they meet again in February in Blacksburg.
Virginia come out hot making their first two baskets, a three from Kihei Clark and a layup from Braxton Key. The Hokies were able to score four points in the first few minutes of the game but then
the offenses went flat. Both teams went well over three minutes without a field goal before VT’s Landers Nolley II hit a jumper. Braxton Key answered with a three pointer and Virginia stretched
the lead to 14-6. His jumper started a 15-5 run that boosted the lead to 26-11 with just under two minutes left.
Nolley II scored the Hokies last 15 points of the half while Virginia got more balanced scoring. Braxton Key led the team with 11. Clark added eight and Mamadi Diakite and Kody Stattman each
chopped in four. Hoos led 30-17 at the half.
Virginia dominated in all the categories. They had 18 rebounds to Virginia Tech’s 11. The Packline D limited the visitors to 29% shooting from the field and an anemic 17% from behind the three
point arc. In comparison, the Cavaliers shot 47% from the field and 30% from the 3pt line.
Virginia executed and exhibited the same defensive grip in the second half and got a career game from Kihei Clark. Clark was the quickest man in the floor and his dribble penetration and
swift moves were too much for the Virginia Tech defense. His play spearheaded a Virginia team that scored 35 points after halftime and shot an impressive 46.3% for the game. The Hoos also connected
on 7 of 21 three pointers compared to the Hokies’ 4 of 25 from 3pt land and only 27% for the game overall from the floor.
Virginia is Tech got a few more scorers involved but leading scorer Nolley II only made one basket, single three pointer, with less than four minutes left in the game. Virginia continued to widen
the lead until it doubled from 13 to 26 at the final horn. The Cavs got contributions from many sources, with Key matching Clark, who scored a career high 18 points, and Stattman finishing with 10
points.
Nolley II was the only Hokie in double figures with 18 while Tyree Redford was next with eight points all in the second half.
The loss drops VT to 10-4, 1-2 in ACC. The Cavaliers improve to 11-2 and 3-0 in ACC play.
by EMSPORTS.org 1/4/2020
photo by virginiasports.com
The Virginia Cavaliers brought their big game effort and rabid fans into the Orange Bowl looking to make history. After losing in the ACC Championship to Clemson, these Cavaliers had
regrouped looking to pull the upset against the #9 Florida Gators.
The Gators, playing in a de facto home game, was too much for the game Cavaliers. Florida socred on their first possession of the game, 61-yard run from Lamicale Perine and never looked back
as they won in a close fought game 36-28.
The 24th-ranked Hoos came into this game with hard earned lessons learned from an historic season to date. The Cavaliers had accomplished very many goals on this 2019 season. The Cavs
had defeated arch-rival Virginia Tech for the first time since 2003 and claimed their first Coastal Division title.
The legacy of all the graduating fourth and fifth year football players was cemented and now they had an opportunity to add more great memories. The contributions of QB Bryce Perkins, WR Joe
Reed and WR Hasise Dubois would long live in the memories of the Wahoo Nation faithful as well as the history books. The three superstars didn't disappoint in their final game as a
Cavalier.
Bryce Perkins set several records as he spearheaded his team to a near upset in the primetime matchup with this SEC power. Perkins completed 28 of 40 passes for 323 yards. He set a
Virginia bowl record and personal record with his four touchdown passes as well as broke the longstanding total yardage record held by the imcomparable Shawn Moore. Perkins accumulated 7,910
yards in his two years as the Cavalier signal caller.
The Cavaliers matched the Gators score for score as they were tied 14-14 until Florida scored the last 10 points of the half. Perine was a one-man wrecking crew with three touchdowns in the
first half. He scored twice by land and once on a pass and catch from QB Kyle Trask.
In the second half, the Cavaliers tightened up on the defense and forced the Gators into a more of an offensive grind, eliminating the big plays that hurt them in the first half. The
Cavalier offense was able to put together a strong drive and scored early in the fourth quarter when Joe Reed caught a sideline pass and snuck into the endzone giveing life to the underdog Cavs and
bringing a roar from the Cavalier faithful.
However, Florida proved their worth and scored with a quick response. As the Cavaliers made another drive deep into Gator territory, Perkins committed his only mistake of the game with an
interception in the redzone. The Gators turned the mistake into a much needed field goal that gave them a 36-21 lead.
The Cavaliers would not go down without a fight. Perkins and the offense found one more trip into the redzone and a well aimed pass found its way into the waiting hands of Hasise
Dubois. The touchdown catch, Dubois's second of the game, closed the gap to 36-28 and a slim flicker of life was left for Virginia.
A successful onside kick was all that stood between the Cavaliers and the Gators and the possibility of overtime. Unfortunately, the onside kick was recovered by the Gators and the season
had come to a bittersweet end.
There were many who stood out for the Cavaliers. Perkins and his incredible one-man show. Dubois with his 10 catches displaying his steel-like grip converted those catches into 83
yards and two touchdowns. Joe Reed drew his career to a close with 7 receptions and 52 yards and the one touchdown. The third member of the pass catching trio was Terrell Jana who
collected a team high 126 yards on seven catches and one touchdown.
The Gators were led by Trask who passed for 305 yards, one touchdown and also ran for a touchdown. Perine finished with 138 rushing yards (career-high) and 181 total yards from scrimmage.
The Gators complet the season at 11-2 and won the Orange Bowl for the fourth time in four tries. The Hoos represented themselves well in their first ever appearance in the Orange Bowl and
finish at 9-5.
story by EMSPORTS 12/31/2019
The University of Virginia wrapped up their
out-of-conference schedule with a matchup against the Naval Academy at John Paul Jones Arena. The 16th ranked Cavaliers were facing a solid Navy squad that was ranked 11th in the country
in scoring defense. This team was tested and could make any contest a grind.
The Cavaliers played very well in
stretches. The home team jumped out to a 14-6 lead with great ball movement and sensational shooting. The Cavs got 7 of their first eight shots in the first seven minutes of the
game
The Midshipmen were determined not to get to far
behind and finally found their offense were able to match buckets with Virginia to only trail 37-29 at the half. Virginia committed only 1 turnover in the half.
The visitors from Navy played the aggressor coming out
of the locker room. Navy turned up the defense, forcing six turnovers and a paltry 1 for 8 shooting by the Cavs. Navy dominated the paint on offense. Evan Wieck
scored six consecutive points that spearheaded a 12-3 offensive run giving Navy a 41-40 lead midway through the second half.
Kihei Clark put a stop to that run and his jumper with
over nine minutes left proved to be the catalyst for a 12-0 Cavalanche. The bucket ignited the home crowd and effectively allowed Virginia to seize control and never relinquish
the lead.
In the end, Virginia’s size and speed proved to be too
much for Navy. Virginia recorded seven blocks compared to Navy’s zero. Navy only made 38% of shots from the floor and just 35% from behind the three point line.
Virginia shot 53% from the field for the game and
knocked down 42% of their 3-point field goals. They also recorded 18 Assists to only 8 turnovers.
Cam Davis led the Midshipmen with 19 points and was
joined in double figures by Wieck’s 13 points.
Virginia spread the wealth with four guys in double
figures. Braxton Key was high scorer with 15. Mamadi Diakite was next at 13 while Kihei Clark (13 assists) and Casey Morsell each added 10.
With the win, Virginia reached 10 wins in 12
games. They will now turn their attention to home state rival and ACC nemesis, the Virginia Tech Hokies on Saturday, Jan. 4th. It will be the last of five consecutive home
games.
Navy drops to 6-5 and will prepare for the arduous
task of competing in the Patriot League Conference.
by EMSPORTS.org 12/29/2019
The Virginia Cavaliers were home just before the holidays with another big matchup versus
the South Carolina Gamecocks. The Gamecocks lost this game last year and were looking to avenge the loss with an upset over the ninth-ranked Cavaliers.
The matchup pitted two teams predicated on discipline and tough man-to-man defense. The
Gamecocks fell behind 3-2 however the would not fall behind from that moment on.
The Gamecocks scored 33 points in the first half, most points allowed all year by Virginia
before halftime. Leading 33-24, South Carolina was controlling the game and silencing the crowd.
Virginia would not go down without a fight. Trailing by 13 (42-29), UVa went on a 16-3 run
to tie the game at 45 with 11:09 left. The teams went back and forth with Virginia unable to take the lead.
South Carolina closed the game on a 19-9 run from the eight minute mark and pulled off the
major upset.
Jair Bolden scored 22 points, Lawson added 14 and Justin Minaya had 12. The Gamecocks shot
a season-best 55.1% from the field against the nation’s stingiest defense. They led for over 37 minutes.
South Carolina forced UVa into a season high 19 turnovers. Both teams shot less than
impressive from behind the three point line, making six each but less than 35%.
Mamadi Diakite scored a career high 21 points and was the only Cavalier in double
figures.
Virginia’s home non-conference win streak is over at 22 games. South Carolina improves to
8-4 and Virginia now stands at 9-2 on the season.
by EMSPORTS.org 12/22/2019
12/20/19
2020 University of Virginia
Football Early Signing Day Recruits
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia football program signed 12 student-athletes to National Letters of Intent (NLI) for the 2020-21 academic school
year, head coach Bronco Mendenhall announced. The 12 student-athletes were part of the early signing period for football adopted by the NCAA in 2017.
Student-athletes from nine states highlight
the class signed by the Cavaliers. UVA’s recruits come from Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and South Carolina.
The following is a list of individuals who
have signed National Letters of Intent to attend the University of Virginia on football grant-in-aid.
The next period for signing football
student-athletes begins on Feb. 5, 2020.
Attached is the full recruiting class and player
bios:
2020 Football Recruiting Class
Name
Pos. Ht. Wt.
Hometown
High School/Previous School
Su
Agunloye
DL 6-6
240 Lindenhurst,
N.Y. Lindenhurst HS
Ira
Armstead**
QB 6-3
200 South Bend,
Ind. Adams HS
Sam
Brady
LB 6-3
200 Lincolnton,
N.C. North Lincoln HS
Jahmeer
Carter
DL 6-2
300 Severn,
Md.
Archbishop Spalding
Lavel
Davis
WR 6-7
205 Dorchester,
S.C. Woodland HS
Elijah
Gaines
DB 6-2
185 Queens,
N.Y. Episcopal HS
(Va.)
Andrew
Gentry
OL 6-7
300 Littleton,
Colo. Columbine HS
Dave
Herard
DB 6-0
170 Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Stranahan HS
Donovan
Johnson**
DB 6-2
180 Harvey,
La.
Helen Cox HS
Jestus Johnson
III
OL 6-3
330 Laurel,
Md.
Gonzaga College HS
Joshua
Rawlings**
TE 6-5
245 Pittsburgh,
Pa. Woodland Hills HS
Brandon
Williams
LB 6-2
200 New Orleans,
La. Isidore Newman HS
** January enrollee
Su Agunloye
6-6 • 240 • DE
Lindenhurst, N.Y. • Lindenhurst HS
Played defensive end and offensive tackle at Lindenhurst High
School for head coach Richard Biancaniello … helped lead Lindenhurst to a perfect 12-0 record and a Long Island championship … earned first-team all-division and first-team all-county honors … named
second-team All-Long Island and third-team all-state … a three-star recruit by ESPN.com Rivals.com and 247sports.com.
Ira Armstead
6-3 • 195 • QB
South Bend, Ind. • Adams HS
Will enroll in January … played quarterback and safety for Adams
High School for head coach Antwon Jones … back-to-back first-team All-NIC honoree … senior year he threw for 1,078 yards and seven touchdowns, while rushing for 610 yards and nine scores … as a
junior earned first-team All-NIC honors after throwing for 2,202 yards and 12 touchdowns, while also rushing for 1,104 yards and 17 more scores … a three-star recruit by ESPN.com and 247sports.com …
a two-star recruit by Rivals.com.
Sam Brady
6-3 • 200 • LB
Lincolnton, N.C. • North Lincoln HS
Played safety and wide receiver at North Lincoln High School for
head coach Nick Bazzle … as a senior he rushed for 507 yards and seven touchdowns, while also catching nine passes for 265 yards and three more scores … on defense he made 87 tackles and 6.0 tackles
for loss as a senior … he also returned nine kickoffs for 182 yards and one punt for 56 yards … he caused three fumbles and recovered another, as well as blocked two punts and two field goals …earned
all-conference honors after helping North Lincoln to a conference record and school-record 12 wins … his RBI double in the top of the seventh helped solidify North Lincoln’s first state title in
baseball in 2019, as the Knights finished 26-6 on the season … a three-star recruit by ESPN.com Rivals.com and 247sports.com.
Jahmeer Carter
6-2 • 300 • DL
Severn, Md. • Archbishop Spalding
Played defensive tackle at Archbishop Spalding for head coach Kyle
Schmitt … three-time first-team all-county honoree for Archbishop Spalding … two-time All-MIAA honoree … made 22 tackles and 4.0 sacks at nose tackle in 2019 … made 30 tackles as junior … won the
2019 Al Laramore Trophy as the No. 1 lineman in Anne Arundel County … a three-star recruit by ESPN.com Rivals.com and 247sports.com.
Lavel Davis
6-7 • 215 • WR
Dorchester, S.C. • Woodland HS
Played wide receiver and safety at Woodland High School for head
coach Eddie Ford … earned all-state honors after making 40 catches for 622 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior … selected to play in South Carolina’s North-South all-star game … collected 70
receptions for 1,007 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior … also plays basketball and runs track for Woodland High School … a three-star recruit by ESPN.com Rivals.com and 247sports.com.
Elijah Gaines
6-2 • 185 • DB
Queens, N.Y. • Episcopal HS
Played safety and wide receiver at Episcopal High School for head
coach Mark Moroz … named first-team All-IAC at the athlete position after notching four interceptions, 20 tackles, 179 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns … earned Episcopal’s 2019 Coaches
Award … as a junior was named second-team all-state and first-team All-IAC at the athlete position after recording four interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns … added 300+ receiving
yards, two receiving touchdowns and 14 tackles in 2018 … a three-star recruit by ESPN.com Rivals.com and 247sports.com.
Andrew Gentry
6-7 • 300 • OL
Littleton, Colo. • Columbine HS
Played offensive tackle at Columbine High School for head coach
Andy Lowry … a first-team 5A all-state honoree … helped lead Columbine to the 5A high school state championship game … key blocker for school’s Colorado’s Gatorade player of the year in football who
amassed 1,732 rushing yards and a state-best 29 touchdowns … rated the No. 79 recruit on ESPN.com’s Top 300 … a four-star recruit by ESPN.com Rivals.com and 247sports.com.
Dave Herard (Her-ARD)
6-0 • 170 • DB
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. • Stranahan HS
Played cornerback and quarterback at Stranahan High School for
head coach Travis Harden … was 47-of-81 passing for 845 yards and 11 touchdowns … rushed 32 times for 180 yards and one touchdown … caught 31 passes for 450 yards and three scores … made 64 tackles
and 2.0 tackles for loss … notched two sacks and six interceptions in 2019 … also plays basketball and helped Stranahan to the 2019 6A state championship, averaging 18.0+ points per game … a
three-star recruit by ESPN.com Rivals.com and 247sports.com.
Jestus Johnson III
6-3 • 330 • OL
Laurel, Md. • Gonzaga College High
School
Played center at Gonzaga College High School for head coach Randy
Trivers … in 2018 helped Gonzaga to a 9-3 record and a WCAC championship, earning second-team All-WCAC honors … was a second-team All-USA Today District of Columbia honoree in 2017 …
former high school teammates with current Cavalier linebacker Hunter Stewart and offensive lineman Jack Keenan … a three-star recruit by ESPN.com Rivals.com and 247sports.com.
Donovan Johnson
6-2 • 180 • DB
Harvey, La. • Helen Cox HS
Will enroll in January … played safety at Helen Cox High School
for head coach Derek LaMothe two-time first-team all-district honoree … as a junior he earned
second-team all-state honors and after nabbing five interceptions and helped Helen Cox finish the season 7-7 … rated the No. 10 senior prospect in the state … a three-star recruit by
ESPN.com Rivals.com and 247sports.com.
Joshua Rawlings
6-5 • 245 • TE
Pittsburgh, Pa. • Woodland Hills HS
Will enroll in January … played tight end and defensive end at
Woodland Hills High School for head coach Tim Bostard … earned first-team all-conference honors in 2019 after making 25 catches for 543 yards and five touchdowns … named Rivalry Series
Scholar-Athlete … three-year varsity starter … a three-star recruit by ESPN.com Rivals.com and 247sports.com.
Brandon Williams
6-2 • 200 • LB
New Orleans, La. • Isidore Newman HS
Played outside linebacker at Isidore Newman High School for head
coach John Stewart … first-team USA Today All-Louisiana while helping Isidore Newman to a 9-2 record and a semifinal appearance in the 2019 Allstate Sugar Bowl/HSAA Non-Select Prep
Classic … notched 12.5 sacks as senior … owns the Newman High School career record for sacks, despite missing most of his junior season with an injury … attends the same high school that was home to
NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning … also plays basketball ... one of ESPN.com’s Top 300 recruits … a four-star recruit by ESPN.com Rivals.com and 247sports.com.
Virginia Women’s
Basketball Adds Grad Transfer Tihana Stojsavljevic
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.
– Head coach Tina Thompson announced today (Dec. 19) that Tihana Stojsavljevic has enrolled at the University and will be joining the
Virginia women’s basketball team.
Stojsavljevic, a 6-3 forward from Zagreb, Croatia was
ranked a three-star recruit by Blue Star Europe coming out of high school. In 2015, she led U18 Croatia to a ninth place finish in the Division A FIBA European Championships. She played her freshman
season at Maine, appearing in 19 games for the Black Bears, shooting .407 from the field and .500 from beyond the arc. She transferred to Texas Tech for her sophomore year. After sitting out the
2017-18 season, she played in 10 games last year for the Lady Raiders, being named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team.
Stojsavljevic graduated from Texas Tech University
earlier this month with a bachelor’s degree in political science and will be pursuing a master’s degree at UVA. As a grad transfer, she will be immediately eligible to play. She will also have
another year of eligibility remaining after this season.
“I am very excited about the
addition of Tihana,” Thompson said. “She brings the type of energy and work ethic we need and enjoy! Her ability to play inside and out will add to our
versatility. This is a great pick up for us.”
12/19/19
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia kick returner Joe Reed was named to the Football Writers Association of America’s (FWAA) All-America team. He was named to the first team as a kick
returner.
Previously, Reed was named a first-team All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation. The FWAA is one of five outlets that the NCAA recognizes in compiling its annual consensus
All-America squad. The others are the Walter Camp Football Foundation, the Associated Press, the Sporting News and the
American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). Only Walter Camp and FWAA have a kickoff returner position on its All-America team, which Reed garnered first-team honors on both.
The Sporting News combined its punt and kick returner into one returner position, an All-America list where Reed earned second-team honors.
Reed (Sr., Charlotte Court House, Va.) was a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award and
currently leads the nation with a 34.7 kick return average. On deep kickoffs to inside the five-yard line, Reed has returned 13 kicks for an average of 41.5 yards per
kickoff return. He is the only player in the nation with 22 or fewer kick returns to go with 700+ kick return yards. The versatile Reed has 70 receptions and 627 receiving yards to go
with six touchdown. He is the only player in the nation with 600+ receiving yards (627) and 600+ kick return yards (764).
Reed is one of three ACC players named to the first-team and one of eight overall to be named to the 2019 FWAA All-America team.
Previously, Reed has also been honored as a first-team All-American by Bleacher Report. He has been named a second-team All-American by the Sporting News, CBS Sports,
SI.com and USA Today, while also earning first-team All-ACC honors as an all-purpose player and kick return specialist. He also was named the Touchdown Club of Richmond’s Specialist of
the Year. 12/18/19
The Virginia Cavaliers returned to the friendly confines of John Paul Jones after a 11-day
absence since their home victory over ACC rival, UNC Tar Heels.
The Cavaliers brought their #9 ranking and hard-nosed defense into a matchup with Stony
Brook University from the America East Conference. Each team was ranked in the top five of NCAA defenses and that proved to be accurate.
Virginia jumped out an early 14-2 lead on the hot shooting of Kihei Clark and Kody
Stattman. However, the Seawolves would prove to be able to respond, tipping off seven straight points and keeping UVA scoreless for nearly seven minutes.
Eventually the Cavs stretched their 14-9 lead into a comfortable 28-16 advantage before
Stony Brook scored their last five points of the half to trail 28-21.
Kihei Clark led all scorers with 11 points. The Cavaliers’ defense forced numerous
turnovers (11) but neither team shot very well. Both teams were unable to crack the 40% mark.
In the second half, Virginia’s defense flexed its prowess and the offense kept the
Seawolves at bay. Kihei Clark led all scorers with 14 and Mamadi Diakite added 13. Jay Huff scores 10 of his 12 points after the intermission. Elijah Oliniyi was Stony Brook’s only double digit
scorer at 11 points.
Neither team was very effective from the field with Stony Brook shooting under 38% and
Virginia barely above 40%. The same can be said for three-point efficiency, as both teams only made five apiece from behind the arc. The game was won with defensive pressure as Virginia forced 17
turnovers while only giving the ball away 10 times.
The win moves Virginia to 9-1 while this loss drops Stony Brook to 7-6 for the year.
by EMSPORTS.org 12/18/2019
#5 VIRGINIA SUFFOCATES #7 NORTH CAROLINA, 56-47, IN BATTLE OF TOP 10 TEAMS
Two top 10 teams entered into John Paul Jones Arena looking to erase the bitter blowout
losses suffered in the ACC/BIG10 Challenge.
Both teams were embarrassed but they knew that those games had no bearing on the challenge
at hand: an early ACC clash of heavyweights.
The #5 Virginia Cavaliers were still stingy as ever on defense but they were anemic on
offense. This was the first of five straight games at the comforts of home in JPJ. The #7 North Carolina Tar Heels were not the high-flying, super scoring teams from the past but they were still a
threat to break out and score triple digits on a given night.
The ferocious defense vs the high octane offense was the storyline going into the game.
Both defense actually set the tone as the first points were scored by Carolina three minutes into the game. The Cavaliers could not hit the hoop from short or from far away. Finally, Mamadi Diakite
hit three free throws at the 14:37 mark. Nearly five and a half minutes had elapsed, but Virginia took the lead and the crowd was able to cheer.
Both teams continued to find points few and far between. The Cavaliers started to separate
themselves with a modest 12-4 run over a seven minute stretch. The Cavs led 17-9 before the Tar Heels returned the favor. A quick 7-0 run drew the Tar Heels to within a point (17-16) with under two
minutes left.
Virginia stymied the run and closed with a 7-2 advantage , holding a 24-18 lead at the
half.
The second half provided more offense and energy following the first half where both teams
struggled to shoot in the low 30% range.
The offense didn’t wait as long to get going after half. Carolina’s Leaky Black hit a
jumper within the first minute and Virginia responded with a three pointer by Tomas Woldentenase and hit seemed to loosen the basket for everybody.
Both teams traded baskets with Virginia maintaining a single digit lead for majority of the
second half. Eventually Virginia was able to completely lock up the Tar Heels and hold them without a field goal for nearly eight minutes. During this span, Virginia was able to win with solid inside
scoring, great extra effort and success at the free throw line.
The Hoos expanded the lead from four points to 17 (55-38). The Tar Heels put together a 9-1
run but fell short of making an real threat to the lead.
Virginia’s 56-47 was their fifth in a row over the Tar Heels. The bench was the story as
the Cavaliers got 25 points and over 58% shooting from the reserves. (Woldetensae 11 points, Francisco Caffero 10 points and Justin McCoy 4 points).
UVA’s defense stifled the Tar Heels into 1 of 14 shooting form the 3pt line and 37% for the
game. The Cavs collected 37 rebounds whereas Carolina gained 32.
Virginia was not scorching the nets at 33% from the field and 35.7% from behind the three
point arc. Their six makes was a big advantage to UNC's one.
Diakite was game high scorer at 12 tied with Cole Anthony who led the Tar Heels. Anthony
entered the game averaging 20 points a game.
Tar Heels fall to 6-3 while Virginia improves to 8-1. Both teams still have a work to do
offensively however, the identity of a great team is finding ways to win even if you are not your best.
EMSPORTS.org 12/07/2019
Charlotte North Carolina
The time has come. All the hard work from early morning,
winter workouts to the long, hot sweat-drenching days in the summer has culminated into the championship game on the first Saturday in December.
The invincible Clemson Tigers, number 3 team in the College
Football rankings, were attempting to win their fifth consecutive ACC title.
The new guys, the Virginia Cavaliers, entered season the 23rd
ranked team in college football and massive underdogs (28 points) to their neighbors to the south.
Each team was not only representing their independent
divisions but also grabbing the prime time audience as the ACC’s best were ready to engage in a battle for conference supremacy.
The Cavaliers received the first kickoff and drove down the
field into the redzone. However on third down a Bryce Perkins’s pass was overthrown and intercepted by Clemson’s Nolan Turner resulting in a touchback.
Clemson made quick work in scoring the opening touchdown.
From the 20, the Cavs defense allowed Clemson’s offense to drive 80 yards in 4 plays with Trevor Lawrence hitting Tee Higgins with a 19 yard scoring toss.
Virginia answered with a successful drive. A Bryce Perkins
combination of passing and running led to a 20 yard scoring strike to Hasise Dubois for Virginia’s first touchdown.
Clemson responded like a champion and after picking up a
first down, Trevor Lawrence hit Justin Ross in stride with a 59 yard bullet. The score made it 14-7 Clemson in the first quarter.
Virginia’s offense moved the ball but was forced to punt. The
Tigers took the possession deep in their own territory and drive inside the Virginia 30 yard line. The Tigers settled for a 47 yard field goal from B. T. Potter and increased the lead to 17-7 with
over 13 minutes left in second quarter.
Another Virginia punt gave Clemson solid field position and
Trevor Lawrence led the team on another quick strike score. After a remarkable catch by Higgins, Travis Etienne broke several tackles on a 26-yd scoring jaunt and
the Tigers now led 24-7.
The Tigers are flexing their muscles as they took another
punt and turned it into an 83 yard drive capped by Tee Higgins catching a seven yard pass from Lawrence. The new score was now 31-7 and Clemson looked to be cruising.
Virginia showed some mettle. They stopped and forced a punt
on Clemson’s opening drive after the halftime break. Once they got the ball back, Virginia kept up the fight. With deft passing and solid receiving, Virginia found the endzone in 85 yards. Perkins to
Terrell Jana from 18 yards away gave the Cavaliers a boost and closed the score to 31-14.
Clemson was not rattled as Lawrence connected with Higgins on
a beautiful 54 yard pass that led to an 11 yard reception for his third TD of the game. The connection gave Lawrence four passing TDs for the game.
Virginia attempted to stay in the game with a little
trickeration. On fourth down, the Cavs tried a fake punt but punter Nash Griffin’s pass only netted two yards but needed five. Clemson quickly converted the great field position into a lightning
strike score as Lyn-J Dixon sped in from the 23 yard line to give Clemson a 45-14 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Virginia made another solid drive that produced more points.
The Cavaliers were thwarted on third down in the redzone and completed the drive with a Brian Delaney field goal of 35 yards.
The Tigers answered with their own short field goal and
pushed the lead back to 48-17. The field goal set a new ACC record of points by one team in a championship game while Trevor Lawrence set a championship game record with four touchdown
passes.
Clemson intercepted a pass from Bryce Perkins and set-up
short field inside the Cavalier 10 yard line. The Tigers with nearly all backups rushed into the endzone when second string signal caller, Chase Brice, bulldozed in from the four yard line. The new
score was 55-17 and Clemson had proven their prowess. With another touchdown to end the game, Clemson won going away 62-17 and claimed their record fifth consecutive ACC Championship Game title,
cementing their hold on the ACC.
Game Notes:
- Trevor Lawrence was 16/22 with 302 yards and four touchdowns.
- Tee Higgins caught nine passes at 182 yards and three touchdowns (ACCCG records - yards, touchdowns)
- Clemson set ACCCG record with 31 points in a half, 63 points in a game, 408 passing yards and 621 total yards.
- Virginia’s Bryce Perkins surpassed Kurt Bennett as single season record holder for passing yardage at UVA, 3,215
yards.
- Virginia recorded the most yards, 387, in a single game versus Clemson this year.
- Hasise Dubois caught a career-high 10 passes for 130 yards. The 130 yards were a season high allowed by the Tigers.
by EMSPORTS.org 12/07/2019
THE #1 UVA MEN'S SOCCER ADVANCES TO COLLEGE CUP,
BEAT SMU 3-2 IN OT
The Virginia Cavaliers have played excellent all year. The
men’s soccer team has faced many worthy opponents who have come close to ruining their season. In the NCAA quarterfinal match with the #8 seed SMU Mustangs, the challenge was greater but the reward
was sweeter.
The Cavs were not only the #1 seed but also the heavy
favorites. As their basketball brethren can attest, it is not easy being the hunted.
The Hoos were pushed to the limit but the excellence and
skill exhibited by their playmakers made all the difference.
Daryl Dike, the dynamic forward assisted on the first goal.
SMU responded and tied the game. Dike was able to inflict his presence on the SMU defensive backfield that led to a penalty kick attempt.
Joe Bell took the honors to serve the penalty kick against
the SMU goalie and put the Hoos ahead 2-1.
The Mustangs would not fold. The visitors continued to attack
and on a set piece, SMU snuck a header into the near post to make the match even.
Each team took aim at each other but no avail. Fellow Hoo,
Joe Bell, an all-ACC performer as was Dike, made sure his teammate would not go down in vain. Bell, taking his second PK of the game, was blocked by the SMU goalie. However, he recovered and with one
swing from the left leg, the native New Zealander, struck the back of the net in the Golden Goal session. His deft strike sent the Cavaliers into their 13th College Cup, soccer’s equivalent to the
Final Four of the NCAA tournament.
With the 3-2 win, Virginia advances to Cary, NC, in an
matchup next weekend versus Wake Forest or UC-Santa Barbara. The men from Charlottesville will attempt to capture their eighth national championship and the program’s first since 2014.
EMSPORTS.ORG 12/06/2019
photo from 247sports.com
Virginia took the opening kickoff and on the legs of Bryce Perkins, the Cavaliers ran their way into the endzone. A 39 yard QB sprint from Perkins gave Virginia a
6-0 lead after the missed PAT and ignited the scene for a great back and forth game.
The first points the Hokies had surrendered in over nine quarters. The Hokies defense stalled out and Virginia then drove the field. However, Virginia gave it back
on an interception from Perkins. The Hokies converted a field goal after entering the redzone and cut the lead in half, 6-3.
As the quarter was winding down, the Hoos took their next possession again the distance. The magic of Bryce Perkins found a seam and found paydirt from 67
yards out. With the run, the Hoos took a 13-3 lead into the second quarter.
VT had a drive early in the second half with promise but in a third-down completion from Hendon Hooker to Tra Turner, the ball was jarred loose by Jordan Mack and
recovered by the Mandy Alonso.
Both teams traded punts until the Hokies got a strong return from Deshawn McClease. After a few runs and passes, the Hokies got a face mask penalty that moved them
to the five. A ferocious Cavalier pass rush forced the Hokies to settle for another short field goal.
Both teams stalled out in the remaining minutes of the half. A Hail Mary heave from Hooker was intercepted by Noah Taylor on the last play of the
half.
Virginia Tech made a statement with an opening drive of 75 yards. The Hokies came out smashing Virginia in the mouth and it paid off. Hooker faked a
handoff and kept the rock on a 34-yard run to score the tying touchdown.
After trading punts, Virginia Tech added to their momentum and score with another long scoring drive of 71 yards that was capped by a Deshawn McClease one-yard dive.
This gave the visitors their first lead of the game at 20-13 with less than five minutes left in the third quarter.
The Cavaliers answered in the ensuing drive with an impressive 79-yard scoring that was orchestrated by Perkins' arm. A pass from Perkins to Kemp of 25 yards gave
the home new life and the score was tied again 20-20.
Virginia Tech took the lead back with a 61-yard long range middle from Hooker to Turner that gave Hokies momentum and a new 27-20 lead.
The back and forth affair continued with Virginia taking another possession 75 yards. This time, the Cavs opened the fourth quarter with a mix of timely runs and two
big passes moved the ball inside the redzone. The Cavaliers were able to score on a 2yd Wayne Tualapapa run to knot the score at 27.
Another possession and another score for Virginia Tech. After a 41-yard kick return, the Hokies mounted a drive that ended in a 47-yard field goal from Brian Johnson
giving VT a 30-27 lead.
The Hoos answered the call again. With a 67 yard strike from Perkins to WR Hasise Dubois, the ball reached the eight-yard line. The Hokies defense stiffened and the
Hoos converted the possession into three points on Brian Delaney 25-yard field goal. The Cavaliers had now come back from behind three times and always found a way to even up the
score.
Virginia’s defense stepped up and forced a Hooker interception. The big play was what the Cavs needed to turn the tables on their arch-rivals. The Cavaliers
pounced on the opportunity and turned the drive into a 48-yard field goal by Delaney to lead 33-30.
Virginia’s defense made the biggest plays back to back. The ensuing possession, the Cavaliers defense sacked Hooker on three straight plays with final play a strip
fumble that was recovered by Eli Hanbeck that sent the crowd in a frenzy and had the stadium erupting with euphoria. The game was essentially over and after a final Hooker incompletion, pandemonium
was in the air and the home crowd flooded the field and The Streak was Over! 15 years of frustration and disappointment had turned into a past memory for those long suffering Cavaliers and
their fans.
Bryce Perkins was double trouble for the Hokies. He scored twice in the ground and once in the air. He accounted for a total of 475 all-purpose yards (311 passing
and 164 rushing) and one interception. Hendon Hooker was nearly as effective. He also passed for 311 yards (1 TD), rushed for 44 yards (1 TD) but two interceptions and a critical fumble were his
downfall.
Highlights:
- Virginia wins Coastal Division for the first time. They were the first wire to wire champ in Coastal history (since 2004).
- Bud Foster’s last matchup with Virginia was not so sweet. This lunch pail defense gave up most points to Virginia, in Charlottesville, since 1896.
- Most points Virginia has scored in a victory in this rivalry since 1998 (42-23)
- The Commonwealth Cup is with Virginia for the first time since Virginia Tech joined the ACC. This also gives the Hoos another point in the Commonwealth
Clash.
- The win places Virginia in the ACC title game versus the Atlantic Division Champs, the #3 Clemson Tigers, on Saturday, Dec. 7th in Charlotte, NC.
EMSPORTS.org 11/29/2019
VIRGINIA SLIPS PAST ARIZONA STATE, 48-45 TO CAPTURE THE HALL OF FAME TIP-OFF CLASSIC TROPHY
The University of Virginia has enjoyed trememdous success in recent years. The team has been near perfect when participating in games in November. That success has been highlighted
during "in-season" tournaments that decorate college basketball as Thanksgiving holiday shows up on the calendar.
Virginia was involved in a tussle with the Arizona State Sun Devils. These Wildcats had a star in PG Remy Martin and were very competitve in the PAC-10 conference.
These two teams were battling for the Air Force Reserve Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic in the Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino in Connecticut.
Virginia and their profound defense were going to get a great challenge from the Sun Devils who were scoring over 88 points a game on the season. The Cavaliers were only allowing about 41
points a game and had only given up 50 points to one opponent thus far on the season.
Virginia jumped out to an early lead 10-2 and looked to be pulling away but ASU settled down and closed the lead to 10-8. The Cavaliers applied the pressure and the offense picked up the
load. The Cavs raced out to a 26-16 lead with under a minute to play. That is when Remy Martin came alive. The dynamic guard scored five points including a buzzer beating
three-pointer at the end of the first half. The Sun Devils continued their scorching shooting and the heat was burning the Cavaliers' defense.
By the time Coach Bennett called a timeout, the Sun Devils had executed their own "cavalanche" scoring 19 consecutive points from the 1 min mark of the first half up to the 13:32 mark in the
second half. With a 35-26 lead, the boys from Tempe looked to take down the defending NCAA champs.
Then Virginia's veterans calmed the waters and a young 1st year flashed his immense talent. The Hoos got the message from the coaching staff following the timeout and the Packline Defense
showed its muscle. Spanning the last 13 minutes of the contest, the Cavaliers held the Sun Devils to 10 points in the remainder of the game.
Remy Martin who was on fire, only scored two more points in that span. He was leading scorer for the game with 21. On the other end of the spectrum, Casey Morsell, the starting 1st
year guard, finally woke up from his poor shooting and made all the buckets when they needed them. Morsell scored the last 7 points for the Cavaliers including the game winning 3pt with 62
seconds left to play.
The Cavaliers then let their defense carry them to victory blocking two shots in the final seconds of the game.
Morsell led the way with a career-high 19 points and Mamadi Diakite added 15 points and Braxton
Key led the way with 8 rebounds.
The Sun Devils got 10 points from Romello White and Rob Edwards each. Edwards also led the
team with six rebounds.
Each team struggled from the field with Sun Devils shooting about 40% and UVA just under 37%
With the victory, the Cavaliers move to 6-0 on the season and bring home another trophy to put into their collection. The Sun Devils drop to 3-2.
EMSPORTS.org 11/24/2019
Virginia remains unbeaten with victory over University of Massachusetts, 58-46
Virginia took their perfect record on the road to face the Massachusetts Minutemen at the
Mohegan Sun for the Air Force Reserve Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic. The Minutemen also entered the contest sporting an unbeaten record at 5-0.
Both teams got off to a quick start at 4-4 before Virginia locked in on defense and gave
UMass fits. The Cavaliers’ offense then got into a flow. Over the next 14 minutes, the Cavalanche buried the Minutemen under a 25 - 8 run. The Minutemen regrouped and turned the tables around by
finishing the half on a 11-0 run to bring the score to a 29-24 Virginia lead.
Virginia started slow after the break and UMass cut the lead to 29-26. Virginia then found
their rhythm and pushed the lead to 43-31 with under nine minutes to play.
Virginia maintained the lead throughout the remainder of the game and UMass could never
muster enough of an attack to threaten the double-digit advantage.
Virginia was led by Braxton Key’s 16 points and 14 from Kihei Clark. Jay Huff added 10
points and tied Mamadi Diakite with eight rebounds for game high. UMass got 14 points from Carl Pierre, 12 from CJ Weeks and 10 from Tre Mitchell.
Virginia, improves to 5-0 with the hard fought victory and moves into the championship game
to face St. John’s or Arizona State. UMass dropped their first game of the year and now stand at 5-1.
EMSPORTS.org 11/23/2019
photo by virginiasports.com
Virginia douses and snuffs out the Liberty Flames, 55-29
Virginia welcomed all the brave who were present on Military Appreciation Day. The annual day of appreciation was the home contest versus
Liberty Flames.
The neighbors along 29 South were looking for revenge from last year’s loss but also a chance to lock up a bowl berth with a win. Virginia
went on defense and wasted no time flexing their muscle and forcing a quick three-and-out.
In their first possession, Perkins spearheaded a nine-play drive which finished on an eight-yard touchdown pass from Perkins to Terrell
Jana.
Liberty answered with back to back touchdowns to take a surprise 14-10. Liberty was driving again until the Virginia defense stepped up
and under a massive pass rush forced QB Stephen “Buckshot” Calvert into an ill-advised throw that was intercepted by Devante Cross.
Cross gave the Virginia team new life and the took advantage with a touchdown scoring drive. Lamont Atkins scores his first career
rushing TD to give Virginia a 17-14 lead. Virginia forced another three and out that gave the offense another chance to pad the lead. With a strong rushing attack, the Cavs matriculated down the
field. A big run of 33 yards from Atkins put the team in the redzone. Mike Hollins capped the drive with a three-yard rush into the endzone to put Virginia ahead 24-14.
Liberty returned ensuing kickoff into the Virginia territory but was unable to convert when Alex Probert missed a 43-yard field
goal.
The second half started with good field position after Seneca Milledge returned the kick 41 yards to set up the next offensive
possession. Perkins mixed the run and pass to perfection and hit Joe Reed with a 7- yard passing toss to up the lead to 31-14. The key play was a well-executed fake punt when backup QB Brennan
Armstrong hit LB Charles Snowden with a trick pass that took the ball to the seven-yard line leading to the TD pass.
The teams exchanged punts but the Virginia punt went out at the one-yard line. Virginia turned Liberty’s horrible punt into a short TD
drive. Bryce Perkins scrambled around the end for a two-yard run for a touchdown.
The Liberty Flames would not back down and with some strong running from Frankie Hickson they moved into the redzone. From the six-yard
line, Calvert threw a strike caught one-handed by Antonio Gandy-Golden. The lead was cut to 17.
Virginia took the next possession and proceeded to cover 81 yards for another rushing TD. PK Kier hit the hole to the left for 31 yards
then finished in the next play with a scoring run of two yards and give Virginia the 45-21 lead.
Liberty struck back with big pass play of 47 yards to CJ Yarbrough. They were able to get in the redzone but after a third down
incompletion, the Flames settled for a 35-yard field goal.
Virginia answered with a 29-yard field goal following the kickoff. The try extended the lead to 48-24.
A change at QB did not slow down UVA on offense. Brennan Armstrong was also successful behind center. He orchestrated a drive that
concluded with a TD strike to Dontayvion Wicks of 44 yards to go up 55-24.
Liberty was able to make one more strong drive and added a 31-yard field goal as time expired to close the scoring at
55-27.
Virginia dominated on the scoreboard and on the stat sheet. Virginia gained 499 yards and kept the call for over 38 minutes. They also
win the turnover battle as they intercepted two passes of Calvert and committed zero turnovers.
Liberty threw for 313 yards but were only able to produce 79 yards on the ground. Virginia showed more balance by passing for 272 and
rushing for 227.
Game Highlights:
- Virginia rushed for 3 touchdowns and over 200 yards for the first time this season.
- Devante Cross has 3 career interceptions, all versus Liberty and against Stephen Calvert.
- Virginia scored in each quarter, and scored 28 unanswered points when Liberty led 14-10 in second period.
Liberty returns home to face New Mexico State, a team they defeated in New Mexico in October. Virginia closes out the regular season with
a mammoth Commonwealth Clash against arch rival Virginia Tech. The game will decide the winner of the ACC Coastal Division.
EMSPORTS.org 11/23/2019
photo by Burlington Free Press
The #7 Cavaliers survive upstart Vermont Catamounts and win 61-55
The #7 Virginia Cavaliers made another home defense on a cold November night. In the on-site match up in this year’s Air Force Reserve Hall of
Fame Tip-Off Classic, the undefeated Vermont Catamounts visited JPJ.
Both teams came in with suffocating defenses and this game shaped up to be a “first one to 50” wins type of battle. Offense was
optional early on but the defense never took a break.
The Catamounts came out the gates quick and caught the national champs by surprise. A quick 7-0 spurt in just under three and a half
minutes, quieted the home crowd and forced Virginia to take a long, slow breath to find out what was going on.
Then the defense stepped up and after a Mamadi Diakite three-pointer, the fans came alive and the team went on a 16-3 explosion over a
10-minute span.
The Cavs made the lead stand up and it could have been bigger until Anthony Lamb drained a three at the buzzer. Virginia led 24-18 at the
half.
The Anthony Lamb show was just beginning. He scored 25 points alone in the second half which included 7 of 14 from behind the three point
arc for the game (six 3s after halftime). His lightning quick release and hot shooting propelled the Catamounts into a lead at 34-31. The 16-7 run gave the visitors momentum until the Cavaliers tied
it on a Diakite triple.
At 34-34, the game became a back and forth affair with the offenses heating up. Both teams took a lead then gave it back. After three
free throws from Lamb to give Vermont its final lead at 49-48 lead, the mettle and mental grind that made the Cavaliers the tough minded national champs, was put on
display.
A critical 8-0 run proved to be the difference. The Cavs held the Catamounts scoreless for over three and a half minutes to maintain a
comfortable cushion which proved to be more than enough.
The teams both scored 37 points apiece in the second half but Virginia won 61-55.
Virginia improves to 4-0 as Vermont suffers their first lost and drops to 4-1.
Quick Stats:
Anthony Lamb led all scorers with 30 points. Stef Smith added 13. The leaders for the Cavaliers were Diakite with 19, Kihei Clark with 15 and
Braxton Key contributed 14.
The Cavaliers outrebounded the Catamounts 30 to 28 and held them to only 38% shooting from the field while shooting over 46% themselves. Vermont held the edge in three point shooting making 12 compared to UVA’s 8. They also recorded 12
assists to Virginia's 11.
EMSPORTS.org 11/19/2019
by virginiasports.com
No. 9 Virginia Cavaliers Lock Down the Columbia Lions, 60-42
The visiting Columbia Lions were looking to pull off the upset at John Paul Jones over the 9th ranked Virginia Cavaliers. The
Lions were hoping to tear through the Cavaliers and hope their performance was as strong as their roar. However, when a lion is in unfamiliar territory, the safety of the home "den" is no where
to be found.
Instead, the Cavaliers turned the Lions' roar into a whimper, as their trademark Packline Defense was on full display in the first half
and throughout the afternoon.
The offense jumped out to a 10-0 lead, before the visitors finally score with under five minutes played in the game. The Cavaliers
were not going to stop there. After Columbia was able to close the lead to 12-7, Virginia picked up the intensity and also the efficiency. A 19-10 run over the final 12 minutes, staked
the Cavaliers to a 31-17 halftime lead. The fans were entertained to another classic performance of the Cavaliers holding an opposing team to under 20 points in a single half.
The second half started out a little slower but Virginia was just finding its groove, when it methodically doubled up the Lions on a
24-12 run that increased the lead to 55-29 with under six minutes to play. By this time, Columbia was all but done and Coach Bennett began substituting at wil to rest his starters and give some
of the reserves some well earned playing time.
Columbia was able to chip away but eventually they were not going to overcome the huge deficit and the final score indicated that the
Cavs had a comfortable lead.
Mike Smith lead the way in scoring for the game with 16 points. No other Lion was in double figures. Virginia was paced by
Mamdi Diakite and Jay Huff, who both had 13 points. Kihei Clark was a contributor with 10 points and a game high 5 assists. Virginia's defense limited Columbia to under 30% shooting from
the field and 3pt line.
Viriginia will now prepare for the undefeated Vermont Catamounts on Tuesday, Nov. 19th. The Lions will head back home to New York
but must visit the St. John's Red Storm on Wednesday, Nov. 20th.
by EMSPORTS.org 11/16/2019
11/14/19
Men’s Basketball Signs Abdur-Rahim, Beekman and
McCorkle
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.
- Virginia men's head basketball coach Tony Bennett has announced the signings of guards Jabri Abdur-Rahim
(Short Hills, N.J./Blair Academy), Reece Beekman (Baton Rouge, La./Scotlandville High School) and Carson McCorkle (Greensboro, N.C./Greensboro Day School) to National Letters of Intent with the
Cavaliers.
The 6-7, 205-pound Abdur-Rahim
averaged 16.7 points and 8.7 rebounds during his junior season at Blair Academy in 2018-19. Abdur-Rahim was named New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year after leading Blair Academy to the Prep A
state championship. Abdur-Rahim was also named first-team all-state and second-team All-Mid-Atlantic Prep League. He averaged 17.7 points and 9.2 rebounds en route to third-team all-state honors
during his sophomore season at Seton Hall Prep as the team finished 24-3.
Beekman, a 6-2, 165-pound point
guard, averaged 21.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 10.2 assists as a junior for Scotlandville in 2018-19. He was named first-team all-state from USA Today and the Louisiana Sports
Writers Association. Beekman has earned back-to-back Most Outstanding Player honors at the Louisiana State Tournament and is a two-time All-District 4-5A selection. Beekman averaged 13.9 points, 4.3
rebounds and 5.1 assists as a sophomore in 2017-18.
The 6-3, 173-pound McCorkle
tallied 15.9 points per game en route to AP and NCISAA 4A All-State during his junior season at Greensboro Day School. McCorkle shot 55 percent from the field, 49 percent from 3-point range and 89
percent from the free throw line. McCorkle guided Greensboro Day to the NCISAA 3A state championship and was named the News & Record Private School All-Area Player of the Year. McCorkle averaged
10.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists during his sophomore season in 2017-18.
"We are excited to welcome Jabri, Reece and Carson into the
Virginia men’s basketball family,” Bennett said. “These young men are talented, versatile and highly-competitive. They come from great families, who understand the value of a degree from the
University of Virginia. We look forward to them joining our program next fall.”
VIRGINIA CRUISES PAST JMU 65-34
Charlottesville VA- Virginia improves to 2-0 Mamadi Diakite had career highs of 19points and 13-rebounds
for the Cavaliers cruise pass JMU 65-34 at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville VA. jay Huff who had 11 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and steals off the bench. Matt Lewis would end up
leading the Dukes with 14 points and 10- rebounds. EM-SPORTS 11/10/19
Christmas 1-5 1-2 3, Jacobs 3-9 1-2 9, Banks 2-8 0-2 6, Lewis 5-15 0-0 14, Parker 0-7 0-0
0, Wooden 0-3 0-0 0, Flowers 0-1 0-0 0, Dobbs 0-0 0-0 0, Harvey 1-4 0-0 2, Richey 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 12-53 2-6 34.
Diakite 8-16 2-4 19, Stattmann 2-9 4-4 8, Key 5-8 2-2 14, Clark 2-7 0-0 5, Morsell 0-9
0-0 0, McKoy 2-4 0-0 4, Huff 5-6 1-4 11, Katstra 0-2 0-0 0, Palumbo 0-1 0-0 0, Nixon 1-2 0-0 2, Kersey 1-1 0-0 2, Coleman 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 26-68 9-14 65.
Halftime—Virginia 31-23. 3-Point Goals—James Madison 8-31 (Lewis 4-9, Jacobs 2-5, Banks
2-7, Flowers 0-1, Christmas 0-2, Parker 0-2, Wooden 0-2, Harvey 0-3), Virginia 4-25 (Key 2-3, Diakite 1-3, Clark 1-5, Palumbo 0-1, Nixon 0-1, Coleman 0-1, Morsell 0-5, Stattmann 0-6). Fouled
Out—None. Rebounds—James Madison 35 (Lewis 10), Virginia 47 (Diakite 13). Assists—James Madison 6 (Lewis, Parker 2), Virginia 11 (Clark 6). Total Fouls—James Madison 11, Virginia 10. A—13,524
(14,5
by virginiasports.com
CAVALIERS CLING TO WIN, 33-28, OVER GEORGIA TECH ON HOMECOMINGS WEEKEND
The Virginia Cavaliers returned home to start a season-ending three game homestand. Their first opponent in this stretch was the
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. These Yellow Jackets were visitors on Homecomings Weekend in Charlottesville.
The Cavaliers lost a heartbreaker to the GT in Atlanta in overtime last season. With the impressive win at UNC a week ago, the Hoos
were looking to exact some revenge and continue to increase the lead they had in the Coastal Division.
In a back and forth affair, the Cavaliers and Yellow Jackets traded punches. GT struck on their first possession with a long touchdown
pass from James Graham to Ahmarean Brown for 59 yards only to have UVA answer in front of the home crowd with a corresponding touchdown drive finished by Wayne Tualapapa from two yards
away.
Both teams continued to play stellar offense, as each traded additional touchdowns in the first quarter to tie the score at 14-14
leading into the second quarter. Virginia scored folowing a Joey Blount interception.
The Cavaliers took the lead at 17-14 on a field goal by Brian Delaney, but GT was determined not to go away. The Yellow Jackets offense
led a quick strike drive in 37 seconds take a 21-17 lead when Graham hit Malachi Carter with a 25-yd scoring strike. It seemed to knock the wind out of Virginia's sails and quickly quiet the
crowd. The Cavaliers looked to be heading to the locker rooms in a deficit until they got great field position on the ensuing kickoff. That gave Perkins and company enough of an boost to drive
half of the field in 33 seconds and score a crucial go ahead TD when Perkins scrambled in from three yards out, just before halftime.
Leading 24-21, Virginia was able to tack on another field goal as both teams slugged it out in the third quarter. The lead was
27-21 and both teams were looking to put the other away. As both defenses tightened up, the offenses struggled to get back the offensive rhythm from the first
half.
The Cavs were able to take another long drive into the endzone on their first possession of the fourth quarter. The man with the
nose for the endzone, Wayne Tualapapa, bullied into the endzone for his 2nd rushing TD of the game. The Hoos two-point conversion attempt failed thus the score stayed 33-21.
With the time becoming a factor, the Yellow Jackets had to score twice. They were able to get in the endzone with over five minutes
left when running back Jordan Mason scored from the eight yard line and made the score closer at 33-28. With all their three timeouts, Georgia Tech was still in the game and that is when the
Cavaliers proceeded to shut the door.
The Cavaliers were able to squeeze and grind the time of possession and sealed the deal with a 3rd down pass from Perkins to Billy
Kemp. The final drive took teh last 5:30 off the clock and the completion ended the Jackets’ comeback hopes and put a bow on Virginia’s Homecomings celebration.
The win makes Virginia now 7-3 and 5-2 in the Coastal. Georgia Tech falls to 2-7 and 1-5 in the ACC Coastal
Division.
GAME NOTES:
- Bryce Perkins accounted for 258 yards passing and a second straight 100-yd rushing game (106 yds)
- Wayne Tualapapa scored two more rushing touchdowns and now has 11 for the year, onone of the best in the ACC.
- James Graham had his best game of the year, career high 229 yards with two passing, one rushing touchdown.
- The win gives Virginia a guaranteed winning record for the year in addition to the ACC.
- Virginia has a bye week before facing commonwealth foe, Liberty University.
- Georgia Tech returns home to play Virginia Tech, in the first of three games at home to finish the season.
by EMSPORTS.org 11/09/2019
photo by virginiasports.com
On the first Saturday in November, Virginia and North Carolina met for the 124th time in the South's Oldest Rivalry, a series that began in 1892. This was Virginia's record-setting sixth
night game of 2019, however, this marked the first night game in series history to be played at Kenan Stadium between UVA and UNC.
Virginia had won the last two meetings in this series. UNC Coach Mack Brown is back for his second tenure with UNC. Coach Brown was back for his second tenure with the Tar Heels after coaching them
nearly two decades ago. He had faced Coach Mendenhall when he was coaching Texas and Mendenhall was the coach at BYU.
This game was all about the offense. Each team put up over 500 yards and neither team had a turnover.
After both teams punted on their initial possessions, North Carolina took an early 3-0 lead but Virginia answered with a scoring drive the include some trickeration. On fourth down, the
Cavaliers ran a fake punt which resulted in a first down. The shift in momentum help continue the drive which was capped by a Bryce Perkins touchdown run from the one-yard line. The
Cavaliers took a 7-3 lead into the second quarter.
Both teams played with great energy and kept the defenses off-balance. The scoring picked up in the second quarter. Virginia increased their lead to 10-3 with a successful field goal from
Brian Delaney of 21 yards. The Carolina accepted the challenge and reeled off back to back scoring drives with touchdown passes of 47 yards from Sam Howell to Dyami Brown and then 34 yards from
Howell to Brown again. The home team was ahead 17-10 and looking to run away from Virginia.
With Bryce Perkins back in control, the Cavaliers marched down the field in less than two minutes and grabbed the momentum back with a six-yard scoring pass from Perkins to Hasise Dubois that
helped tie the score at 17-17 prior to halftime.
Bryce Perkins had put on his Superman cape and that TD before the half on the first of four consecutive scoring drives from the end of the second half throughout the third quarter. To begin
the second half, Perkins turned a broken play into a spectacular touchdown run of 65 yards. This began a stretch in the third quarter of four consecutive scoring drives alternating between both
teams, as they went back and forth trying to outduel each other.
Perkins set a school record with 490 all-purpose yards (30-39 on 378 passing yards and 24 carries for 112 rushing yards) and tied a career record with five total touchdowns. Terrell Jana was his
favorite target with career-high in receptions (13) and receiving yards (146).
UNC Freshman QB Sam Howell was nearly as superior. He was able to nearly match touchdown for a touchdown with Virginia. He completed 15 of 29 passes for 353 yards and four touchdowns.
While both teams lit up the scoreboard for three quarters, the defenses made enough stops to pitch shutouts in the final quarter. Virginia’s defense made two stops in the last five minutes,
specifically a fourth and three inside the six-yard line. The final series was also a turnover on downs and the bend but not break performance paid off.
The win gave Virginia bowl eligibility for the third straight year for the first time since 2005. The Cavaliers sit atop the ACC Coastal Division 4-2 (6-3) overall while UNC falls to 3-3 (4-5)
overall in the Coastal.
EMSPORTS.org 11/02/2019
photo by virginiasports.com
Virginia dominates the Blue Devils, 48-14
The Virginia Cavaliers returned home after two tough losses on the road. Their woes were made even worse after losing eight days ago at Miami and not scoring a single touchdown. Today was a
battle of Coastal Division co-leaders and a lot was riding on this game.
The return home was just what the doctor ordered as the Cavaliers dominated the Duke Blue a Devils by a score of 48-14.
Bryce Perkins threw an ill-advised interception on the first drive of the game, into the endzone. How are, the defense picked up the offense with turnovers and kept the Blue Devils from crossing
the 50-yard line in the first half. The Cavaliers did a great job of getting touchdowns not field goals when they got in the redzone. Perkins accounted for two touchdowns in the ground and
Brian Delaney booted a 33-td field goal to give the Hoos a 17-0 halftime lead.
Duke was hoping to make a dent in the deficit but the turnover bug struck again. On the first snap of the second half, Duke fumbles and Charles Snowden recovered for the Cavs. Brian Delaney
converted another field goal. After another great defensive stand (fourth down stop), the Cavs bust down the door with another rushing TD from Wayne Tualapapa.
Up 27-0, Virginia was in full control. Duke finally answered with their best drive of the game. This time QB Quinton Harris hit a 36-yard passing TD to WR Scott Bracey to break the shutout. The
excitement was short lived. On the ensuing kickoff, the electric kick return of Joe Reed for a 95 yard, got the Hoos back into the endzone and the game was by all intents and purposes, over.
The Hoos and Blue Devils made wholesale changes and after trading a couple of touchdowns, the final horn sounded. The Cavaliers had provided the home crowd a statement victory.
Cavalier stats:
• Perkins became 1st Virginia QB ever with three rushing touchdowns in a single game.
• Tualapapa finished with career high 77 yards rushing and two touchdowns
• Virginia recorded five turnovers and only punted three times.
• 48 points are the highest total ever for a Coach Mendenhall team against an ACC opponent.
• The Cavaliers held their seventh straight opponent to under 300 total yards for the game. The first team to accomplish this feat since the 1995 team.
• Joe Reed returned a kickoff for a touchdown for the fifth time in his career. Reed is the UVA career leader in all time kick return yardage.
• Reed is now tied for No. 9 in FBS history and tied for No. 3 in ACC history with five career kick returns for touchdowns.
• Duke has now lost five consecutive matchups to the Cavaliers and have never beaten UVA under Coach Mendenhall.
EMSPORTS.org 10/19/2019
Virginia stays undefeated with win over odu 28-17
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65293938/usa_today_13394111.0.jpg)
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY
Sports
The buzz was still in the air from the monumental win the Cavaliers enjoyed over Florida
State last week. Now ranked 21st in the AP Poll, the Cavs has to re-focus at home against in-state foe, the Old Dominion Monarchs.
Uva scored 28 unanswered points after the first quarter to pull away from the upset bid and
win 28-17.
ODU was no stranger to being an underdog (27 points against UVA) nor pulling an upset over a
Commonwealth rival (beat VT last year). They would have their hands full on this warm Saturday night.
It seems that ODU didn’t get the message they were to be an easy win at the home of the
Hoos. Instead, ODU played like a team that was ranked and the favorite.
Led by the arm and feet or Stone Smartt, the QB gave the team a lift. The Monarchs drove down
to the UVa 4 yard line before they had to settle for a Nick Rice 21 yard field goal. The Monarchs defense continued the trend and stifled the Cavalier offense. After three plays and negative yardage,
the Cavaliers punted and gave ODU prime field position.
This time Smartt and his crew passed their way down back into the redzone. Smartt was able to
shake the Cavalier defense and dive into the endzone with a 10 yard scramble. The touchdown put the Cavalier crowd into a big hush and the upset murmur was growing.
The Cavaliers tried to breakthrough but minimal yardage and another punt backed up the
Monarchs. ODU was staring at a lot of field to cover but were not intimidated. With a few mix of passes and runs, Smartt marched the team near midfield when he found Matt Geiger down the sideline.
Geiger took the pass and in 47 yards he was celebrating another TD with a somber UVA crowd in shock.
The Cavaliers were staring a 17-0 deficit but kept grinding. In ensuing drive, Joe Reed
nearly broke the kickoff return all the way. His 57 yard return gave the Cavs great field position. With the momentum and new energy, Perkins guided his team to their first score. His quick feet
provided an eight yard rushing score and the home crowd wake from their slumber. The Cavaliers finally got a much needed score and went into the half down 17-7.
Virginia struggled in the second half until the defense made the key play of the game. ODU
backed up near their endzone., a scrambling Smartt was under pressure and threw a pass that found Zane Zandier. Zandier looked like a rumbling TE but the linebacker scored on the pick six from 22
yards away and the tide had turned for the Cavaliers.
ODU was struggling and their offense was under immense pressure. The Cavaliers had made the
Monarchs sweat. When the Cavs got the ball back, they complete a few passes and were ready to score, but DE Keion White blocked the attempted Brian Delaney FG attempt and ODU has the lead still.
Virginia’s defense rose to the occasion has the offense was unable to turn the corner. ODU
was stuffed deep in their territory in a fourth and 1. Virginia quickly capitalized off the defense’s stellar play and Wayne Tualapapa crashes through the defense with a 7 yard slash and run.
The Cavaliers took their first lead and time was running out on the Monarchs. The defense got stronger as the game became closer to the end.
Virginia turned up the heat and ODU melted under the pressure. After another ODU
punt, Virginia went back to work. With an aerial attack, Perkins found Joe Reed in the flat and Reed made a quick move, left his defender sprawling and raced untouched 25 yards into the endzone. The
Cavaliers has put some much needed breathing room between them and ODU. The fans were breathing a huge sigh of relief but the game still needed a final touch.
The Cavaliers got that tough compliments of a relentless defense led by Charles
Snowden. He helped stifle any hopes ODU had of a comeback with 2 sacks in ODU’s last two possessions. The Hoos pitched a second half shutout and pushed their record to a perfect 4-0.
The Clipboard:
- Both teams were a little anemic on offense. ODU 270 total yards and Virginia only 244.
Neither team eclipsed 70 yards rushing respectively for the game.
- Defensively, the Cavaliers recorded a total of six sacks on Stone Smartt. Snowden recorded
a career-high 15 tackles and had two sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss. Keion White of ODU matched both those totals from his defensive spot.
- The only turnover proved to be costly as it was a defensive TD for Virginia.
- The Cavaliers defense held the Monarchs' offensive to less than 50 yards in the second
half (a paltry 49 yards to be exact).
by EMSPORTS.org 9/21/2019
The Virginia Cavaliers Raise the Championship Banner
It was a night to remember. The University of Virginia held a formal celebration for the Men’s Basketball Champions in John Paul Jones. The arena was nearly packed
as well over 10,000 of Hoos closest family, friends and fans made the trip to Charlottesville to formally celebrate the Night of Champions and the Raising of the Banner for the NCAA
Champs.
A team which had only one 30 win season in their long history, prior to the 2013-2014 season, had now nearly 30 wins a per year in every season up to the present since
then.
Under the leadership of Coach Tony Bennett, the 2018-2019 season was a season to remember. This program was just one season removed from the most memorable upset in NCAA
history. The UMBC Retrievers has done the unthinkable as the first #16 seed to defeat a #1 seed. The loss will forever be a part of the annals of NCAA history but not bigger than the aftermath: The
Story of Redemption. The Cavaliers turned their darkest moment into a driving force that produce the the brightest light paving the path to their first ever National Championship in Men’s
Basketball.
“Every champion must endure suffering.” This phrase was repeated by Coach Bennett as he harkened back to how the team suffered at the hands on embarrassment and
the wrong side of history in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Rafael Nadal spoke the comment at the 2019 US Open (which he won) but it aptly fits the champion Hoos as they showed grit, perseverance and
humility in the face of criticism and pressure. The team once again earned another #1 seed for the 2019, but this time they did not stay in the valley but rose to the top of the
mountain.
As the night unfolded, the night was full of energy and emotion. After Coach Bennett spoke, Ty Jerome, Kyle Guy and De’Andre Hunter all shared the stage and during a
conversation with Dave Koehn, the Voice of Virginia Athletics. Each spoke of how nervous and excited they were to be a part of the same recruiting class and fulfill a dream, to bring home a national
title. They spoke of living out the good and bad times and then how they elevated on the foundation built by earlier teams.
Each member and staff were then honored with their commemorative wristwatch and a audacious championship ring that could be seen from space. It was the perfect symbol
and reward for a program that had been built by Coach Bennett for a decade. The fruits of his labor and the young men who went the extra mile to live up to the five pillars were beat displayed in the
celebration with the fan base that had embraced the pace and loved every minute of it.
Congrats to the 2018-2019 Virginia Men’s Basketball Team, for joy finally came in the morning on this special night of celebration.
by EMSPORTS.org 9/13/2019
The #25 Cavaliers defeat the Florida State Seminoles in a late night classic, 31-24
This second Saturday in September was shaping up to be as exciting a football Saturday that Charlottesville had ever witnessed.
On the heels of the Friday celebration for the Men’s Basketball raising their championship banner, the #25 Cavaliers hosted perennial ACC powerhouse Florida State Seminoles. These Seminoles were not
as flashy or dominant as the previous versions, but they were still dangerous. This team was loaded with speed, talent and potential but none of that was going to sway Virginia from the task at
home. In front of nearly 58,000 enthusiastic fans, the Cavaliers were poised to Defend their turf and Rock the Scott (Stadium).
Virginia received the opening kickoff and with a promising drive moved into the Florida State redzone. The drive turned sour after an errant Bryce Perkins pass was intercepted. Each team traded
punts before Virginia broke through with a long drive and a field goal from Brian Delaney that traveled 49 yards to put the Hoos up 3-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The Seminoles struggles were on offense but defense kept them in the game. The Cavaliers secured their own muffed punt but with backs to the end zone, the offense was not able to move very far from
the shadow of the end zone. A poor punt by Nash Griffin gave the ‘Noles life and they scored in three plays on a short field. QB James Blackman pass to TE Gabe Nabers was a successful 10 yard
touchdown and gave the visitors a lead with user nine minutes left in the second quarter.
It was vital for the Cavaliers to regain momentum and grab back the lead. They were able to do both. In six plays and 75 yards, the Hoos mixed passes and runs to get into the promised land with
Wayne Taulapapa’s three yard dash to push the lead to 10-7 for Virginia. Florida State’s answered the touchdown with one of their own. In less than three minutes, the Seminoles went 87 yards with the
final pass a touchdown from Blackman to RB Cam Akers for three yards. Virginia could not answer before the half and a desperation pass from Perkins to Reed was intercepted deep in the
Seminoles’ territory.
Seminoles took opening second half kickoff and then punted only to have Virginia return the favor. The next possession saw positive returns for Florida State. They were able to work down the
field and convert a long, 53 yard field goal by Ricky Aguayo. The Hoos now facing a 17-10 deficit in the third quarter proceeded to match the Seminoles.
In a quick passing attack, Perkins led the team 75 yards spanning the end of the third quarter and start if the fourth. On a second down pass play, Perkins hit WR Joe Reed with a beautiful pass in
corner of endzone and the score was tied at 17 afer Delaney's PAT kick. With Florida State feeling the momentum slipping away, the hurry offense made plays and forced Virginia’s defense to
react and not attack. A well led attack with timely passes and strong running got Florida State the lead again. This time Keyshawn Helton was the recipient of a Blackman 17 yard toss. Down but not
out, the Hoos made up the deficit with a finely orchestrated 75 yard, 12 play drive that saw Tualapapa get his second TD. The extra point was no good and with that Florida State held a thin one-point
advantage.
The Cavaliers defense made the stops and a forced punt allowed the Cavaliers’ offense to get the lead back. With Perkins’ arm and Joe Reed’s legs, the Cavaliers made Florida State’s defense
work and sweat. The Seminoles were flagged for a targeting which gave Uva the ball 1st and goal inside the 10. Two runs later and Tualapapa was celebrating with his 3rd rushing TD. The magic of Bryce
Perkins was on display for the subsequent two-point conversion. With the moves of Houdini and some intuition, the Cavalier QB made moves to slip out imminent danger and finally waltz into the end
zone, giving the home squad a 31-24 lead to the the roar of over 60,000 obsessed Wahoo fans.
However, there were 2 minutes and 36 seconds left and Florida State has more than enough time to score. The high flying, quick pace Seminole offense has shown to be dangerous all night. This
last drive would be no different. The Seminoles started at their on 25 yard line and proceeded to pass their way up the field. However, something strange happened on the way to the end of the
game. On fourth down, Blackman fires a pass broken up by CB Nick Grant, but a flag was tossed and Florida State was awarded a first down. That was not all. Coach Mendenhall profusely argued the
call and his antics supplied Florida State with another 15 yard penalty. The Seminoles has moved 30 yards with no time elapsing. The Blue Wave Cavalier defense answered the call again. The Seminoles
were down to their last play when an incomplete pass seemed to seal their fate. However, another flag and yet again another 15 yards for Florida Star who was creeping ever so close to the
redzone.
As the anticipation increased, so did the anxiety on the faces of each fan in Scott Stadium. The Seminoles were on the verge of another fourth down with just 13 seconds left. A pinpoint pass from
Blackman to Helton on third down earned a 1st and goal from the 4 yard line with four seconds left. In helter-skelter fashion, the Seminoles played super hurry up and reminiscent to Warrick Dunn in
1995, this endzone was the stage for a frenzied finale. Cam Akers to a direct snap around the right side and as he closed in on the goalline, he was stopped twice by Virginia defenders with time
expiring. It happened again, a goalline stand and a tremendous victory as a sea of people in orange and blue embraced these undefeated Hoos in the belly of Scott Stadium.
The Clipboard:
- Blackman was phenomenal with 22-37, 234 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions
- Perkins played spectacular in second half with 16 consecutive completions and a passing TD to go along with the key two-point conversion.
- First time a ranked Virginia team (#23 AP in 2007) has won since destroying the Miami Hurricanes in the final game in the Orange Bowl, 48-0.
- Keep away, time of possession: UVA 39:44 > FSU 20:16
- Both teams combined for 19 penaties, 180 total yards and five personal foul penalties (All Florida State)
by EMSPORTS.org 9/14/19
photo by virginiasports.com
Virginia manhandles William & Mary in home opener, 52-17
Friday night lights is a
natural phenomenon that engulfs countless fans of football in the fall every year. In this Friday, the Virginia (1-0) Cavaliers decided to make their mark as they opened up their 2019 home schedule
with the visiting William and Mary Tribe (1-0).
The Tribe are in the first year under the helm of new head coach Mike London. Yes, that same Mike London who once roamed the sidelines as the head ball coach for the Cavaliers. They won their
first game last week over the Lafayette Leopards, 30-17.
The last two time these team men met at Scott Stadium was the opening game in 2013 as London led UVA to a 19-16 comeback victory over the BYU Cougars, Mendenhall’s former team.
Hoos started off right. A quick three and out by the defense and Bryce Perkins went to work. He was a perfect 4 for 4 on the drive culminating it with a 40yd touchdown pass to Joe Reed. The defense
was just as effective on the next series. After the Tribe recorded a couple of first downs, then the Cavalier Defense made a statement.
An rushed throw by Tribe QB Hollis Mathis found the waiting arms of CB Nick Grant. The Cavalier cornerback took the ball on a sprint and raced down the home sideline nearly untouched for a pick six
of 85 yards.
The next drive after a Tribe punt was finished with another TD. The offense showed a few more mixes of power runs and timely passes. Bryce Perkins added the final blow with a seven yard touchdown
scamper to put them up 21-0 as the first quarter was coming to a close.
The offense didn’t slow down. Perkins Drive the team methodically down the field and then Perkins found his big target, Terrell Chatman, with a 15-yard strike in the middle of the end zone pushing
the score to 28-0.
William and Mary caught a break on the first mistake by UVA. The Tribe punted and what looked to be another Cavalier possession turned into a fumble as Chuck Davis bobbled the punt allowing the Tribe
to recover inside the red zone. With their best position all
game, the Tribe was unable to penetrate the Virginia defense and settled for a 40-yard field goal.
Just when it looked as if the momentum was slowly shifting it wasn’t. The kickoff went deep into the end zone but no touchback because Joe Reed has other plans. With a burst of speed and a quick cut
to the left, Reed weaved his way through the defense and left all defenders in his dust. 100 yards later, the Cavaliers were celebrating another touchdown and the crowd was in a frenzy.
The Cavaliers were on the move again but this time an ill-advised throw by Perkins in the red zone led to his first interception allowing the Tribe a chance to catch its breath and stop any
further damage. Virginia had one more chance to score but an errant field goal attempt kept the score at 35-3 in favor of the Hoos at the half.
Virginia opened up the second half with ball first and time consuming scoring drive. The feet and arm of Perkins did most of the damage but the score honors belonged to 1st year running
back Mike Hollins. On his first ever carry as a Hoo, Hollins sliced through a tired Tribe defense for a 9-yard touchdown.
After Virginia forced a three and out, the Cavaliers were not as effective on offense. Bryce Perkins threw his second pick of the game in a third and long situation. William and Mary moves the ball
but were unable to capitalize, missing on a 35 yard field goal attempt.
The Tribe defense struck again. This time the quarterback was Brennan Armstrong. After a few first downs, Armstrong was hit on a blitz and his pass fell in the hands of Tribe linebacker
Arman Jones, who returned it 47 yards for the Tribe’s first touchdown.
Virginia found their footing after stumbling on previous possession. The hard running of Mike Hollins got the Cavaliers inside the 10 yard line where they settled for a field goal by Brian Delaney
from 34 yards.
William and Mary put together their best drive with an answer to the field goal by Virginia. In seven plays, covering 75 yards, Albert Funderburke bulldozed in from the two yard line for another
Tribe TD.
The Hoos seamlessly moved 64 yards into end zone with Mike Hollins converting a one yard rush for the last yard. With his second TD, Hollins increased the lead to 52-17.
Aside from a few miscues the Virginia offense was sensational racking up 511 yards. Their 52 points was the most points since beating Temple 51-0 in 2005. Perkins was responsible for two
passing touchdowns and one rushing. He also threw his first two interceptions of the year. Brennan Anderson, the understudy was also very efficient. He completed 9 of 10 passes (1
interception) for 103 yards.
First year running back Mike Hollins led the ground attack. He chewed up 78 yards and scored his first two career touchdowns.
Joe Reed was the leader with 58 yards receiving and an entertaining 100 yard KO return for a TD (4th of his career).
The defense also was very impressive if not dominant. The Tribe was held to 193 yards total offense and just 10 points were scored on the Cavaliers' defense. Zane Zandier was the leader
with 9 total stops and the entire unit finished with five sacks and 12 tackles for loss plus the interception for a TD by Nick Grant (1st career interception).
The Hoos will now have an extra day to rest and prepare as they will welcome in the vaunted Florida State Seminoles on next Saturday night, primetime under the lights.
by EMSports.org 9/6/2019
Joe Harris, USA Men's National Basketball Team
jJoe Harris is fan favorite of all of Wahoo Nation, in making his name on the International Basketball level. Harris, professionally of the Brooklyn Nets, is making himself as a name as a
sharpshooter and overall great leader with the US National Men's Team. Harris was originally participating in the US Select Team, a group of professionals who were preparing the senior team for
the 2019 FIBA World Cup Tournament in China. After several rounds of cuts, the USA team recognized how valuable Harris would be to the team and now he is on the Senior National Team.
Harris has made great strides as a professional leading the NBA in three point shooting percentage at 47.4%. Harris is a knockdown, long distance sniper who also provides size on the
perimeter and solid defense.
Harris will get a chance to prove his mettle and continue to showcase his skills as the USA is the favorite going into this tournament. In the style of the world famous World Cup that soccer
fans have loved for decades, the 2019 FIBA World Cup will take place from Sept. 1 - Sept. 15.
The USA has started preparations and are expected to be on the top of the medal podium when the dust clears. Joe Harris will be an integral part of their success.
by EMSPORTS.org 8/23/2019
Hunter, Jerome and Guy Selected in 2019 NBA Draft
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Former Virginia stars De’Andre Hunter, Ty Jerome and Kyle Guy were selected in the 2019 NBA Draft Thursday (June 20) night.
Hunter was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the fourth overall pick and is expected to be traded to Atlanta. Jerome was picked 24th overall by Philadelphia and is expected
to be traded to Phoenix.
Hunter became UVA’s highest first-round selection since Ralph Sampson was selected first overall by Houston in 1983. In addition, UVA has two players drafted in the same draft
for the first time in school history.
Guy was selected by New York with the 55th pick of the second round as the Cavaliers had three NBA draft selection for the first time since 1987 when Olden Polynice (Chicago),
Andrew Kennedy (Philadelphia) and Tom Sheehey (Boston) were selected in the first, second and fourth rounds, respectively. Guy will head to Sacramento as part of a trade.
Virginia has had eight players drafted in the NBA since 2012, including Mike Scott (2012), Joe Harris (2014), Justin Anderson (2015), Malcolm Brogdon (2016), Devon Hall (2018),
and Hunter, Jerome and Guy in 2019. Scott, Harris, Brogdon and Hall were second-round selections, while Anderson was selected 21st overall in the first round.
Hunter, Jerome
and led UVA to its first NCAA title in 2018-19. Hunter earned consensus
third-team All-America honors, and was the NABC National Defensive Player of the Year, All-ACC first-team and ACC Defensive Player of the honoree after his breakout season in 2018-19. He averaged
15.2 points and 5.1 rebounds, while shooting 52 percent from the field, 43.8 percent from 3-point range and 78.3 percent from the free throw line. Hunter racked up 10 20-point games, including a
career-high 27 points against Texas Tech in the NCAA championship game. He averaged 12.4 points and 4.4 rebounds in 71 career games.
Jerome averaged career highs
in points (13.6), rebounds (4.2) and assists (5.5) during his junior season in 2018-19. Jerome netted six 20-point games, including 24 against Purdue and 21 against Auburn in the NCAA Tournament.
Jerome registered three double-doubles and tied a school record with 14 assists at Syracuse. Jerome, who was two-time All-ACC honoree, totaled 1,011 points, 317 rebounds and 384 assists in 105
career games in three seasons at UVA.
by EMSPORTS.org
6/20/2019
by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images
The Champs are Here! Cavaliers defeat defending
Lacrosse Champ Yale, 13-9
In
Charlottesville, the University of Virginia has had an historic seven weeks. In early April, the basketball team captured their first ever Men's NCAA Title. The Cavalier Lacrosse Team saw
and learned the lessons from their UVA brethren and decided to do the same.
Exactly 7 Mondays from the night of the basketball championship, the team led by coach Lars Tiffany secured the program's sixth NCAA title in Lacrosse. This was no easy feat
and it took some fortunate bounces and tremendous play to earn their newest hardware. The Cavaliers completed the trifecta, of sorts. They also won the ACC regular season title and the
ACC tournament championship.
First Round:
The
UVA Men, seeded #3 in the NCAA Tournament, hosted their first-round matchup where they dispatched Robert Morris, 19-10. They entered the quarterfinals looking at a familiar foe, the Maryland
Terrapins. The Hoos and the Terps had faced off nearly 100 times and Maryland was easily the most hated and longest despised rival for the Cavaliers.
They had many epic contests however the most recent one of importance was the 2011 National Championship in
Baltimore, MD. The Hoos prevailed that day in Maryland's back yard and a few years later the Terrapins left the ACC for the Big Ten.
Quarterfinals:
The
Cavaliers and Terps were neck and necks through most of the first three quarters. However, with 10:38 left in the fourth quarter, the Terrapins led 12-7 and look to be heading into the national
semifinals. The Cavaliers were down but not out and went on a furious scoring binge. The Hoos scored the last five goals in regulation to send the game into overtime. In overtime,
faceoff specialist, first-year Petey LaSalla won the biggest faceoff of the year. He found Matt Moore on the move and Moore did the rest. Moore's sudden victory OT goal just 45 seconds
into the extra period sent the Cavaliers through to the Final Four in Philadelphia with a 13-12 triumph.
The
Cavaliers went from the frying pan right into the oven has they were now facing their newest nemesis, the Duke Blue Devils. The Blue Devils had a stranglehold over the series with the
Cavs. They had been victorious in 19 of the last 20 contests including nine straight. The Cavaliers had not vanquished the Devils since 2010 ACC Tournament.
Semifinals:
The
Cavaliers took an early 1-0 then 2-1 lead but the Blue Devils would not allow another goal in the first half. After a 4-0 scoring advantage in the second period, the teams traded goals in the
third quarter. Every time UVA made a move, Duke countered and they upped the ante. The Blue Devils jumped ahead 8-4 halfway in the third period and looked to be in control. Virginia
found new life an answered back with a quick 3 goal scoring spree before Duke closed the quarter with back to back goals. The fourth quarter was going to decide the fate of one of these teams,
the loser was going to rue the chance to be in the national final match.
Leading 10-7, Duke gave up the first score to UVA. Then answered with another goal. UVA pushed to deficit to one, with two quick scores and looked to have momentum.
Duke squelched the run with a goal and under two minutes to play, the Blue Devils just needed to play defense to win this match. The Hoos did not listen to conventional wisdom and has in the
past, they found a way to knot the score at 12 with 15 seconds left and head to overtime.
One
overtime was not enough as both teams wasted chances to end this contest however, in the second OT, Ian Laviano, the Cavs' leading scorer on the year, notched his 50th goal of the season of an assist
from Matt Moore (team leader in that category). With the clock showing 3:09 to play in the second OT, the final score was 13-12 in favor of Virginia. Finally, the Blue Devils had been
exorcised.
After such a magnificent win, the Cavaliers were starting to resemble that team from JPJ. Cardiac
Cavaliers or Comeback Cavs seemed to be a fitting description for the ability to pull the wins out at the end of these playoff battles.
National Finals:
Championship Monday on Memorial Day was the final stop for this Virginia team and a date with destiny. The Yale Bulldogs stood in the way of the Cavaliers completing the
journey to the top of the Lacrosse mountain.
The
Bulldogs had been here before and their claim to fame was their offense. The offense had scored 59 goals in the first three rounds of the tournament and were looking like a juggernaut after
dispatching the #1 team in the country, the Penn State Nittany Lions, 21-17 in the semifinals.
The
Elis (Yale's nickname) sported the one of the best players in the country in TD Irelan, a faceoff specialist who had won a mindboggling 75% of the faceoffs and was a finalist for the player of the
year award, The Tewaaraton Award. Yale took an early 1-0 lead before Matt Moore scored two goals to give UVA a 2-1 lead. Then Yale tied the game when all tourney player, Matt Brandau
assisted Matt Gaudet for the tying score.
Virginia then took over and scored the next four goals in the first half. The Virginia defense was phenomenal and thwarted every attack that the Yale offense attempted to
ignite. With the score at 6-2, the Cavaliers headed into the final 30 minutes with a lead and complete control.
The
Yale Bulldogs would not go down without a fight and in a blink of the eye, the Bulldogs scored two lightning fast goals and suddenly the mood shifted in the stadium. In less than 70 seconds,
the score was 6-4, Yale was jubilant and the Cavaliers were back on their heels.
UVA
collected their thoughts and responded in a grand fashion. With precision passing and great energy, the Hoos put together a 5-0 streak that knocked the Elis off their high horse and essentially
ended the chance of a repeat by Yale.
There
would be no great comeback or tense moments in this championship tilt. The Cavaliers had ascended back to the top of the sport with their scintillating performance. The final score of
13-9 was confirmation of the hard work and long road this team had traveled to be recognized as the Kings of Lacrosse. They started the season 1-2 and only dropped one more contest over the
final 17 matches of the season. That was to Duke in the regular season and they avenged that loss in the semifinals. The Cavaliers will look to be the favorite heading into the 2020
season. Their Sixth National Championship has a sweet taste to it and will be housed in Charlottesville, the new City of Champions.
by
EMSPORTS.org 5/28/19
JUAN THORNHILL GETS SELECTED IN NFL DRAFT
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia senior safety Juan Thornhill
(Altavista, Va.) was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs during Friday’s second round of the National Football League Draft. Thornhill was the 63rd overall pick and the first safety drafted out of
Virginia since Anthony Poindexter was taken by the Baltimore Ravens in the seventh round, 216th overall, in 1999.
Thornhill is the first Cavalier drafted by the Chiefs since 2008 when offensive lineman
Branden Albert was taken in the first round. Thornhill is the sixth Cavalier all-time to be drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs.
Thornhill finished the 2018 season No. 3 in the nation and No. 3 in the ACC with six interceptions. He set a UVA single-season record for interception return yards with 141 and led
Virginia with 98 tackles. Thornhill was a first-team All-ACC honoree, an honorable mention All-American by College Football News and named to the Associated Press All-Bowl
team. Thornhill started in the Senior Bowl and participated in the NFL Combine. He was named the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week after making six tackles and intercepting two passes
against No. 16 Miami. Thornhill also recorded 4.5 tackles for loss, blocked a PAT and returned it for a two-point score. He leaves UVA tied for No. 6 all-time at UVA with 13 career interceptions,
sharing the spot with Chase Minnifield (2008-11). Thornhill helped spearhead a UVA secondary in 2018 that finished No. 12 in the nation in passing efficiency defense (107.62), No. 16 in passing yards
allowed (183.0) and No. 20 in both team defense (330.5) and scoring defense (20.1).
NFL DRAFT 2019
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.– Virginia senior cornerback Tim Harris (Richmond, Va.) was selected by the San Francisco 49ers during Saturday's sixth round of the National Football Draft. Harris was the
198th overall pick and the first cornerback drafted out of Virginia since Maurice Canady was taken by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round, 209th overall, in 2016.
Harris is the first Cavalier drafted by the 49ers since 2015 when Eli Harold was taken in the third round. Harris is the sixth Cavalier all-time to be drafted by the 49ers.
Harris appeared in 47 career games for the Cavaliers over six seasons. He started the last eight games on 2018 and made 36 tackles, broke up four passes and recorded two interceptions. Harris notched
interceptions at Virginia Tech in the regular season finale and against South Carolina in the Belk Bowl. His interception in the Belk Bowl solidified UVA's 28-0 shutout of the Gamecocks. Harris was
part of a UVA secondary in 2018 that finished No. 12 in the nation in passing efficiency defense (107.62), No. 16 in passing yards allowed (183.0) and No. 20 in both team defense (330.5) and scoring
defense (20.1).
by virginiasports.com
4/26/2019
Several other standouts from the Cavaliers' football team went undrafted but shall continue their journey in the NFL after signing free agent contracts.
Olamide Zaccheaus signed with Atlanta Falcons
Chris Peace signed with the LA Chargers
Marcus Applefield signed with the Baltimore Ravens
Jordan Ellis signed with the Cincinnati Bengals
by EMSPORTS.org 4/27/2019
Print 