Memphis Rattles Turnover-Prone Virginia in 77-54 Rout

The Tigers scored 27 points off of 18 Virginia turnovers and sent the Cavaliers back to Charlottesville with a blowout loss

Entering Tuesday's game, Virginia was ranked No. 2 in all of college basketball in terms of taking care of the ball, averaging just 8.0 turnovers per game. But against an aggressive and physical Memphis defense, the Cavaliers turned the ball over 18 times and the Tigers scored 27 points off of those takeaways. 

With Memphis cashing in on UVA's sloppiness and David Jones scoring at will in the half-court, the Tigers surged to their third-consecutive win over a ranked opponent as No. 22 Virginia (9-2) failed its first true road test badly in a 77-54 defeat at No. 23 Memphis (9-2) on Tuesday night at FedExForum. 

It was a disastrous start for the Cavaliers in their first time playing in a hostile road environment this season. In the first four minutes of the contest, three different Memphis players made threes, UVA shot 0/3 from the floor with two turnovers, and the Tigers jumped out to a 13-1 lead, prompting a very early timeout from Tony Bennett. 

Reece Beekman was inspired by whatever Bennett told his team during the timeout, as the senior guard came out and willed Virginia back into the game. First, Beekman got a three-pointer to drop with a friendly roll, then assisted on a Leon Bond III dunk and a Jake Groves three, and then stepped back into another three of his own from the top of the key, fueling an 11-2 run to make it a game again. 

Before Virginia could fully erase the deficit, however, David Jones asserted himself and took over. Jones put his impressive array of scoring abilities on full display, knocking down a three from the top of the key, backing down his defender into the paint, and hitting contested mid-range jumpers. UVA tried putting Isaac McKneely, Reece Beekman, and Ryan Dunn on the 6'6" forward, but Jones could not be stopped. He scored nine of the next 12 points for the Tigers to push their lead back up to nine and had 16 points on 5/7 shooting in the first half alone. 

Virginia responded with a 6-0 run over a near four-minute stretch in which Memphis did not score. UVA got as close as one point, but again could not completely close the gap before Florida State transfer Caleb Mills scored five points in the final 90 seconds of the half to give Memphis a 38-32 lead at the half. 

Jake Groves led UVA with nine points in the first half and Beekman had eight points and four assists, but Virginia still trailed by six at halftime, largely thanks to the scoring prowess of David Jones and Memphis scoring 14 points off of six Cavalier turnovers. 

Memphis beat Virginia with set plays on three-consecutive possessions early in the second half to push its lead back to double digits at 47-36. Beekman responded with a much-needed three-point play on a tough layup plus a foul and got Virginia back within five, but the Tigers punched right back. And this time, it was the knockout blow. 

Memphis forced a few more UVA turnovers as part of a quick 9-2 run and then the Cavaliers went ice-cold, going scoreless for nearly five minutes and allowing the Tigers to score 13-consecutive points, including several more points off of turnovers. By the time Virginia made its next basket, the damage was done. Memphis had built a 21-point advantage and seized all control in the game. 

UVA never got closer than 17 points after that and Memphis pulled away for a statement 77-54 win. David Jones scored at least 20 points for the fifth-consecutive game, leading all scorers with 26 points on 8/15 shooting. The Tigers made nine threes on 39.1% shooting and also scored 34 points in the paint and 14 second-chance points. 

Reece Beekman led Virginia with 13 points, five rebounds, and four assists, but also had five turnovers. Jake Groves had 12 points on 5/7 shooting and Ryan Dunn had an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double. Isaac McKneely, who entered the night as the nation's leader in three-point shooting at 55.1%, went 0/5 from beyond the arc, failing to hit a single three-pointer in a game for the first time since February 18th. Virginia shot 4/19 (21.1%) from the perimeter as a team, a few days after shooting 14.3% against Northeastern. 

After a week off, Virginia (9-2) will host Morgan State on Wednesday, December 27th at 7pm at John Paul Jones Arena. 

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