Virginia Holds Off Syracuse 73-66, Bennett Becomes UVA's Winningest Coach

The Cavaliers led by as many as 23 points in a wire-to-wire victory over the Orange

Although the Cavaliers led from start to finish and built a lead as large as 23 points in the second half, a seven-minute scoring drought allowed the Orange a chance to come back and create some late-game drama. 

Eventually, though, Virginia sealed a 73-66 victory over Syracuse on Saturday at John Paul Jones Arena. The win gave Tony Bennett his 327th victory at UVA, surpassing Terry Holland as the winningest head coach in the history of the Virginia men's basketball program. 

After a strong first half start, the Cavaliers found themselves with an 11-point lead at halftime which was extended to 23 at one point in the second half. The start was attributed to Virginia picking apart the Syracuse zone to create consistent open looks from beyond the arc. UVA shot 12/26 from three-point land, including 7/13 in the first half. Midway through the second half, the Cavaliers suffered a scoring drought of over seven minutes which allowed the Orange to cut the lead to as little as seven with under a minute to go. Despite the scare, the Cavaliers converted their free throws down the stretch to avert a colossal collapse. 

Armaan Franklin led the Hoos with 16 points which included starting 3/3 from the three-point arc to give the Cavaliers an early 11-2 lead. Reece Beekman and Isaac McNeely then added to Franklin’s hot start as the two of them each made a three. The 5/5 start from three-point range jumped the Hoos out to a 20-9 lead.

McNeely inherited the hot hand, making two more threes to give the Cavaliers a 28-16 lead. McNeely finished the game with 12 points, shooting 4/7 from three. Defensively, Virginia forced nine Syracuse turnovers and took full advantage, scoring 13 points from Orange mistakes in the first half.

Later in the first half, fifth-year Jayden Gardner registered his 1,000th rebound of his NCAA career, joining Ralph Sampson as the only other Cavalier to register more than 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in their career. Gardner is now the only active player in Division I men's basketball with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. 

The Cavaliers continued to build on their lead with a 7-0 run which included three points from graduate student Kihei Clark and four from Gardner. Then UVA's offense went cold for the final few minutes of the first half As the clock winded down, Virginia opted not to hold the ball for the final shot and ended up turning the ball over. That decision led to four Syracuse points, which capped an 8-0 run to make the score 35-26 at the half. The Virginia lead which was once 17, was cut to only nine.

Despite the sloppy ending to the first half, it was all Virginia to start the second. The Cavaliers erased the Orange’s momentum, opening the second half with a 12-0 run which included a three from Franklin, two offensive rebounds and four Virginia steals during that span.

Ben Vander Plas contributed to the scoring run with two threes to add to Virginia’s red-hot start, giving the Hoos a 23-point lead, their largest of the game. Virginia’s offense then went quiet again, missing eight straight shots while Syracuse fired back with a 13-0 run.

The scoring drought, which spanned nearly eight minutes, highlights a key area for improvement for the Cavaliers moving forward. Long scoring droughts have plagued Virginia all season, as Syracuse began to knock on the door with a 16-3 run that cut the lead to nine. The full court press, a tool implemented by Jim Boeheim frequently in games against Virginia, rattled the Cavaliers and contributed to their offensive struggles.

With four made free throws, Virginia managed to make the score 61-50. Then, after over eight minutes without a made field goal for the Cavaliers, Beekman ended the drought with a key three-pointer. The Orange then responded with two threes, cutting the lead to eight.

Beekman then produced three points and an assist in between an and-one play by freshman Judah Mintz to cut the lead to nine. Thanks to an additional four points from Beekman from the charity stripe and a key block from junior Kadin Shedrick, the Cavaliers managed to hold off Syracuse 73-66.

Virginia was in complete control for extended stretches for the game, but allowing Syracuse to come back and make a game of it late showed that there is certainly room for improvement for the Hoos moving forward in ACC play. Now 11-3 and 3-2 in the ACC, Virginia will face North Carolina on Tuesday at 9pm at John Paul Jones Arena.

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