Virginia Hangs on for Critical 66-65 Victory at Clemson

The Cavaliers extended their win streak to six and earned a key Quad 1 win against the Tigers, significantly improving their tournament chances

The Cavaliers nearly lost the game despite holding a four-point lead with less than a minute to go. Clemson’s Jack Clark missed the potential game-winning shot at the buzzer to allow Virginia to escape with a critical 66-65 victory on Saturday afternoon at Littlejohn Coliseum. Despite missing two free throws while in the bonus in the final minute, the Cavaliers escaped the Tigers to earn a crucial Quad 1 win, a result that could be monumental for Virginia’s tournament chances.

Virginia was led by Jake Groves, who led the team with 17 points, nine of which were from beyond the arc. Alongside Groves, Reece Beekman and Isaac McKneely both had 14 points.

The big men were also key to the Cavaliers' success, with Jordan Minor having nine points and nine rebounds while Ryan Dunn had five points and ten rebounds. On the glass, Virginia had 15 offensive rebounds.

After scoring a season-high 18 points last Wednesday against Notre Dame, Jake Groves was building on his success with eight points early on to help Virginia to a 23-16 lead. Reece Beekman also picked up six points and two steals.

The Pack Line Defense was in full effect as Clemson struggled to get in rhythm offensively. In the later part of the first half, the Hoos rode a 7-0 run as the Tigers suffered a scoring drought of over three minutes. Virginia also limited Clemson’s PJ Hall to two points in the first half.

At the end of the half, Clemson roared back with two threes to cut the lead to five before Groves knocked down his third three-pointer at the buzzer to give Virginia a 34-26 lead at the break.

Groves finished the first half with 13 points on 5/7 shooting, and 3/4 from three.

To start the half, Groves hit a mid-range jumper to give Virginia a double-digit lead. The shot sparked a hot shooting period for the Hoos as they opened the half 4/5 from the field, allowing them to maintain their advantage 42-33.

After that, Clemson fired back with a 7-0 run to cut the lead to two as PJ Hall came alive with five of those points with Jordan Minor on the bench. When Minor returned, the Hoos extended their lead back to six, which included a three from Andrew Rohde.

Virginia maintained its lead until another 10-2 run from Clemson made it 57-56 with less than five minutes to go. The lead change was sparked by threes from Hall and Joe Girard, giving the Tigers their first lead since it was 8-7.

In response, Isaac McKneely fired back with a mid-range jumper before Groves made a key block on Hall, turning the tide back in favor of the Hoos. A few possessions later, Groves hit a jumper to extend the Virginia lead to three with 2:30 remaining.

The bucket from Groves came after a diving save from Ryan Dunn kept the possession alive. On the next Virginia possession, McKneely hit a three-pointer plus a foul, completing the four-point play at the line to extend the Virginia lead to five.

Clemson then responded with two free throws from Chase Hunter before Ryan Dunn fired back with a put-back layup to make it 66-62 with 36 seconds left. Then, with seven seconds left, Minor fouled Hall from three, causing Minor to foul out.

From the charity stripe, Hall went 3/3, cutting the lead to one. Dante Harris then was fouled, sending him to the free-throw line.

At the line, Harris missed the front end of the one-and-one, giving Clemson a chance to win the game, but Jack Clark’s jumper from the top of the key missed long, allowing Virginia to claim a 66-65 victory and its sixth straight win.

With six consecutive wins, Virginia (17-5, 8-3 ACC) will look to ride its momentum on short rest as the Cavaliers host Miami on Monday at 7pm at John Paul Jones Arena. 

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