Virginia Hangs on for 60-57 Victory Over Mississippi State in NIT First Round

The Cavaliers took down the No. 3 seed Bulldogs to advance to the second round of the NIT

As UVA missed free throw after free throw in the final minute of the game, there were certainly more than a few people inside John Paul Jones Arena who were beginning to have flashbacks of the last time the Cavaliers played a game in this building nearly three weeks ago, when Virginia led Florida State by nine points with two minutes left but let the Seminoles come back and win the game on a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Matthew Cleveland that stunned Virginia on senior day. 

Virginia's first round game against Mississippi State was an opportunity for redemption and a chance to give Kihei Clark and the senior class a proper send-off in their final home game. With 30 seconds left, the Cavaliers looked well on their way to doing just that as they held a seven-point lead. Some missed free throws by UVA left the door open and the Bulldogs nearly made the most of it as they had a chance at a game-tying shot in the final moments. 

Fortunately for the Wahoos, Iverson Molinar's three-pointer was off the mark at the buzzer and Virginia hung on for a 60-57 victory over No. 3 Mississippi State in the first round of the NIT on Wednesday night at John Paul Jones Arena. 

Neither team has shot the ball very well from the perimeter this season, so both teams knew that the game was going to be won or lost in the paint with physical play from the big men on each roster. 

Virginia's tough defense showed in the first half, as the Cavaliers held the Bulldogs to just eight made field goals and 19 points in the opening 20 minutes. Francisco Caffaro made some solid defensive plays and also contributed eight points on 4/5 shooting in the first half to help UVA take a 27-19 lead at the half. Reece Beekman recorded eight of his 14 points in the first half and also tallied six assists and four steals, which gave him 70 steals on the season, breaking the Virginia single-season steals record previously held by Othell Wilson, who had 69 steals in the 1983-1984 season. 

Any hope of Virginia repeating its solid defensive effort from the first half was crushed when Mississippi State opened the second half by scoring the first seven points and going on a 13-5 run to tie the game. Tolu Smith scored 12 of his team-high 16 points in the second half and also collected 11 rebounds. 

READ MORE: Isaac McKneely and Isaac Traudt Named Gatorade Players of the Year

Virginia sustained the Mississippi State run and eventually built up a eight-point lead again midway through the second half on 12-2 run, with 10 of those points coming from Jayden Gardner, who led UVA with 16 points on 7/13 shooting. Taine Murray capped the run by scoring a layup for his first points since January 4th to give the Cavaliers a 46-38 lead. Kihei Clark also recorded eight points and nine assists. 

The Bulldogs managed to climb back into the game and this time, they leaned on a surprising streak of three-pointers. Andersson Garcia knocked down a three-pointer and then Garrison Brooks, who is very familiar with the Cavaliers after facing them six times throughout his four years at North Carolina, made three three-pointers over a span of two minutes to bring Mississippi State back to within just a single point. 

Armaan Franklin, whose confidence certainly wavered after failing to hit a single three-pointer in the two games at the ACC Tournament, bounced back and made a pair of threes, including one on the next possession to push the Cavalier lead back to four points with less than two minutes to play. 

Virginia made some solid defensive stands and then Garrison Brooks, undoubtedly frustrated at the prospect of losing to UVA for the seventh time in his career, earned a technical foul by shoving Francisco Caffaro after the whistle. Virginia made some free throws to extend the lead to 60-53 with less than 30 seconds left and that should have been the end of it. 

With this year's Cavaliers, it's never that simple. 

Tolu Smith knocked down a mid-range jumper and then Kihei Clark missed the front end of a one-and-one to leave the door open. Shakeel Moore missed a three-pointer but Cameron Matthews was there for the putback to make it a three-point game with four seconds left. Jayden Gardner was fouled and went to the free throw line to ice the game, but he crucially missed both free throws to leave it a one-possession game. 

Mississippi State pushed the ball quickly up the floor but Clark fouled before the Bulldogs could get a three-pointer off. On the ensuing inbounds play, Mississippi State got the ball to Iverson Molinar in the left corner and Molinar took a tough contested three-pointer with Beekman's hand in his face and the shot was off the mark, saving the Cavaliers from another late-game meltdown. 

"This was important," Virginia coach Tony Bennett said after the game. "I told them - whether you win or lose this game, this is a statement game for us. What are we made of?" 

Despite the late-game drama, UVA stayed tough and earned a hard-fought victory against a solid Mississippi State team. The victory gives Virginia 20 wins on the season for the 10th time in the Tony Bennett era. 

More importantly, the victory gives the Cavaliers the opportunity to play another game this season, as UVA moves on to face North Texas in the second round of the NIT. 

Virginia (20-13) will play No. 2 seed North Texas (25-6) at the Super Pit in Denton, Texas on Sunday (3/20) at 6pm. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+. 

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