Cavs strike in second half
Singletary scores 29; UVa's 4-2 in league
By Whitelaw Reid / Daily Progress staff writer
January 25, 2006

The mission was pretty obvious for the University of Virginia on Tuesday night: Contain Miami guards Guillermo Diaz, Robert Hite and Anthony Harris. After all, they had accounted for 62 percent of the team's offense heading into the game.
The Cavaliers did much more than that. They held the Hurricanes' trio to just 33 points on 10 of 36 shooting and rolled to a 71-51 victory in front of 8,075 fired-up fans at University Hall.

It was UVa's third straight ACC win and its biggest margin of victory against an ACC opponent since 2001 when it defeated North Carolina by 20.

"For the third game in a row, I thought we played with some mental focus and toughness," Cavs coach Dave Leitao said. "I told the team that was a good team we played [tonight].

"I thought we were tough-minded when the game could have gone one way or another."

Just like in their win over North Carolina last Thursday, it was a total team effort for the Cavs - with a big dose of Sean Singletary.

Singletary was the game's high scorer with 29 points. Laurynas Mikalauskas and J.R. Reynolds each chipped in with 12 points. Adrian Joseph added 11.

Harris led Miami with 13 points.

When teammate J.R. Reynolds had to leave the game after smacking his head on the floor following a hard drive to the hoop, Singletary took over.

He scored 22 points after the break, many coming in spectacular fashion. He hit spinning jumpers, running floaters and 3-pointers.

He also got other people involved, dishing out four assists - his last to Laurynas Mikalauskas that was converted into an easy layup became the exclamation point on the victory.

"He's the best point guard in this league," said a dejected Miami coach Frank Haith. "He's an outstanding player. He had one of those nights."

Said Leitao: "When the game was on the line, we had Sean, who was the best player on the floor."

But Virginia wouldn't have been anywhere without its stingy defense.

The Cavs (10-6, 4-2), who have played mostly man-to-man this season, mixed in a lot of their 2-3 zone. Hurricane shooters seemed out of rhythm all night.

"Our gameplan was to keep bodies in front of them," Leitao said, "because they are very talented and athletic. We knew we couldn't let Hite, Harris or Diaz get free looks at the basket. I thought we did a really good job."

The Hurricanes, who came into the game tied with the Cavs for the lowest field-goal percentage in the ACC, may now have the cellar to themselves. They shot just 31 percent, including 6 of 27 from 3-point range.

"Down the stretch, we locked them up," said Singletary. "That was the key to the game."

The Cavs shot 54 percent from the field - a pretty impressive feat considering Miami was giving up the fewest points per game coming in.

Another impressive stat: The Cavs had just eight turnovers.

The Hurricanes came out of the gates strong, leading by as many as eight in the first half. However, they went into a huge dry spell and only scored four points in the last eight minutes and trailed 32-26 at the break.

They started strong after the intermission when Hite hit a 3-pointer, but then went into another dry spell.

Adrian Joseph and Mamadi Diane hit back-to-back 3-pointers that seemed to suck any remaining life out of the Hurricanes.

"I thought we were the soft basketball team," Haith said. "Virginia played tougher."

Leitao attributed a lot of that toughness to Singletary, who was playing the game a little under the weather.

"There's a thing called Philly toughness," said Leitao of Singletary, a Philadelphia native. "He has it. Matter of fact, he has a triple dose of it."

So do all of the Cavs lately.

DUNKS: Reynolds will be re-examined tomorrow. After the game, he had a huge knot on the back of his head. "I feel dizzy and have a headache," he said?

The Cavs last three-game ACC win streak came last year in early February when they beat N.C. State, Florida State and Virginia Tech. They preceded to lose six out of their last seven to finish 4-12 in conference

Bannister hooked up with Singletary for one of the most exciting plays of the night in the first half. Bannister faked a behind-the-back pass on the fastbreak, then found Singletary on the wing, who went in for a reverse layup

The Cavs play at Duke on Saturday.

 

Hoo fans: Savor team's place in ACC
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
January 25, 2006

No sooner than Virginia had reeled off its third straight ACC win on Tuesday night to move into a tie for second place in the league, did someone up and spoil Dave Leitao's party by asking about going to Duke on Saturday.
Let's stop and enjoy the scenery a bit, shall we?

It's been a long time since a Wahoo basketball team breathed the rarified air of second-place in the ACC standings. Everybody stop what you're doing and take a deep breath.

Ahhh! Go, ahead, do it again. It's been a long time, baby. If you're a Virginia fan, you've deserved it.

Leitao's Cavaliers gave visiting Miami a lesson in bully ball, flexing their muscles en route to a 20-point manhandling of an opponent that rode into town at Hurricane strength, but puffed out as merely a tropical depression. It had been almost five years since Virginia had beaten an ACC foe so badly, an 86-66 spanking of No. 2 North Carolina on Feb. 25, 2001.

Ah, heck, take another breath. Inhale. Hold it. Now, breathe ...

2-3 zone handles Miami

Leitao and his staff again had a solid game plan ready for the guard top-heavy Canes and their 2-3 zone. Virginia, primarily a man-to-man bunch, offered up its own version of zone defense to disrupt the rhythm of Miami's three-guard lineup.

The order of the day from Leitao was for UVa's players to keep their bodies in front of the Hurricanes and for the big guys to give early help whenever possible so as not to give Miami's shooting threats free looks.

While all that was well and good, because Miami's Anthony Harris, Guillermo Diaz and Robert Hite combined for 33 of the quietest points you'll ever know. Together they shot 10 of 36 from the field and 6 of 23 from bonusphere.

But the big difference in Virginia waking up at 4-2 in the league and 10-6 overall this morning was toughness, both of the physical and mental variety.

Haith took notice

Miami coach Frank Haith noticed ... over and over again. He couldn't stop talking about it after his team sank to 11-8, 3-3.

"I thought we were a soft basketball team tonight," Haith said. "Virginia was physically tougher than we were. When we had guys take the ball out of our hands, well, that's toughness. And that No. 11 kid, he played hard."

That would be freshman Lars Mikalauskas, a 6-foot-8 hunk of an import from Lithuania, who has been Virginia's one-man wrecking ball in consecutive wins over North Carolina and now Miami in the span of five days. Mikalauskas ripped eight rebounds from the glass and bulldozed his way to an ACC career-high dozen points against the Canes.

The fact that he tore the ball from the mitts of Miami players with regularity in this 71-51 romp must have left a lasting impression on the visitors from Coral Gables.

Leitao has always emphasized physical toughness, but the one thing he wanted most from this group of inherited players was perhaps the most difficult thing to ask - mental toughness. Tuesday night he got it.

Sophomore point guard Sean Singletary, who Haith called the best point guard in the ACC, contributed his usual display of mental toughness along with 29 points and only one turnover in 37 minutes. But we've come to expect that of him.

It was his teammates who showed the kind of grit that Leitao craves, demands from his teams. Most of his guys exhibited it time and again, even J.R. Reynolds, who took a nasty spill that ended his night early in the second half and didn't return to action.

That's when his team responded, Singletary in particular.

"When J.R. went down, [Singletary] took the game on his shoulders, played the whole second half with one turnover," Leitao said. "There's this thing called Philly toughness and [Singletary] has it ... he has a triple dose of it."

Bruised and battered from recent games, Singletary was also under the weather, but it didn't matter. Leitao saw him gasping at one point in the second half and asked him if he wanted to come out, already knowing the answer.

"He said, 'No,'" Leitao remarked.

The thing about Singletary's drive and fortitude is that it's getting contagious with his teammates. Heck, even J.R. would have come back if he hadn't taken a visit to 112 Loopy Street after hitting his head on the floor.

All this testosterone made for an enjoyable late evening for the 8,075 that watched in person from U-Hall and from all five of you that managed to pick up the telecast on ESPNU, a network that only residents on the Moon seem to get on their cable package.

It was just another stepping stone for Leitao's blueprint of rebuilding the Wahoo program. Ride the vets and mold the youngsters. It is a formula that has made Virginia perhaps the nation's most surprising basketball team at this juncture.

Picked dead last in the ACC, the Cavaliers have delivered an eye-popping record, good enough to get a sniff of the top of the league.

Ah, go ahead, take another breath. Feels good, doesn't it?

 

Virginia's stretch run could be key
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
January 25, 2006

Al Groh has often said that November is a "special" month.
"What happens in November is going to determine how it all writes out," Virginia's football coach said during the 2005 season. "We've told [the players], 'This is the way it's going to be every November. This is fun. This isn't something to get uptight about. This is exciting. This is where seasons are made.'"

Even still, it is unlikely that Groh begged officials at the Atlantic Coast Conference to let his team close out the 2006 season with Florida State, Miami and Virginia Tech.

That scenario, however, could be exactly what Virginia will face in 2006. According to sources, when Virginia's football schedule is announced later this week, it will include a pair of Thursday night games and a rough three-game stretch to close out the year (at FSU and Virginia Tech; home versus Miami).

Virginia's home schedule will include nonconference games against Wyoming (Sept. 9) and Western Michigan (Sept. 16 or 23), and league games with Maryland, Miami, North Carolina and North Carolina State.

The road schedule includes league games at Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech and nonconference games at East Carolina and Pittsburgh.

The game against Pittsburgh will be Virginia's season opener, likely to be played on Sept. 2. UVa's ACC opener will be against Duke.

The ACC's annual rotation keeps the Cavaliers from playing regular season games against Boston College, Clemson and Wake Forest in '06.

The two Thursday night games are likely to pit Virginia against Maryland and UNC, both home games.

GIFT GIVING: UVa's Department of Athletics announced this week that they are giving $50,000 from the proceeds for the Music City Bowl to academic programs and its marching band.

The gifts, which were announced at Tuesday's men's basketball game against Miami, will be split evenly ($25,000).

"As we have done in the past, we are sharing the success of our football program by providing gifts to the Faculty Senate Dissertation-Year Fellowship program and the Marching Band endowment," said Director of Athletics Craig K. Littlepage. "In both cases, students and the University community benefit from this support."

JUST FOR KICKS: Connor Hughes will get to kick in his Virginia helmet one more time.

Hughes will take part in the College Football All-Star Challenge in Chicago on Feb. 4.

The event will be televised by ESPN at 4 p.m.

In addition to placekickers, the event features a competition for quarterbacks and receivers/wide receivers.

The kicking competition will be held for the first time. Hughes will battle Stephen Gostkowski (Memphis), Josh Huston (Ohio State) and David Pino (Texas).

 

Singletary leads UVa by Miami
The Cavaliers make it three in a row by knocking off the Hurricanes and equal their number of ACC wins from a year ago with No. 4.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Sean Singletary has taken over games in the past, but it will be hard to top his performance Tuesday night in a 71-51 victory over visiting Miami.

Singletary, a 6-foot sophomore, scored 22 points in the second half and finished with 29 as Virginia move into a second-place tie in the ACC.

It was the most lopsided conference victory in nearly five years for the Cavaliers, who were a preseason choice for last. They already have won as many conference games as they did in 2004-2005, when they were 4-12 in the regular-season.

Singletary said he did not feel well before the game, but he never came out in the second half and played 37 minutes.

"He's a fabulous player, the best point guard in this league, and he showed it tonight," Miami coach Frank Haith said.

Virginia (10-6, 4-2 ACC) played the last 15:43 without its second-leading scorer, J.R. Reynolds, who landed awkwardly after scoring a basket to give Virginia a 38-33 lead.

Reynolds, a junior from Roanoke, spent several minutes on the floor before being helped to the sideline. After a brief stay on the bench, he went to the locker room and had a towel draped around his head when he returned as a spectator for the final eight minutes.

"I thought he would come back into the game," Singletary said, "but, with him out, I knew he's our primary scorer, so I needed to pick up the scoring load."

Singletary was just being modest. He not only leads the Cavaliers in scoring with 18.6 points per game, but he was third in the ACC in both scoring and assists going into Tuesday contest.

Singletary, who was 11-of-17 from the floor, contributed four assists and he had one turnover on a night when the Cavaliers had only eight turnovers as a team, two coming on illegal screens.

Virginia was averaging 17 turnovers through 14 games, but the Cavaliers had 10 turnovers Thursday in a 72-68 victory over 24th-ranked North Carolina and matched their season low Tuesday night.

UVa needed a late surge to outrebound the Hurricanes, 34-33, but Haith thought the Cavaliers were much more physical.

"I felt we were a soft basketball team," he said.

The Hurricanes (11-8, 3-3) had won four of their previous five games and boasted a triple threat on the perimeter in guards Anthony Harris, Guillermo Diaz and Robert Hite. However, Miami shot only 31.7 percent (19-of-60) from the floor and 22.2 percent (6-of-27) on 3-pointers.

"I think they did a good job defensively, but we just didn't shoot that well," Haith said. "Some of the shots were contested, but we missed a lot of wide-open shots."

Diaz, the ACC's second-leading scorer in 2004-2005, was 2-of-13 from the field. Hite, the No. 4 scorer in the conference last year, was 3-of-13.

"I always like being presented with a challenge and seeing what I can do against those type of guys," Singletary said.

First-year UVa coach Dave Leitao said, "There's this thing called Philly toughness and he's got it. In fact, he's got a triple dose of it. I saw him gasping at one point and said, 'Sean, you need a break?' And, he said, 'no.' When the game was on the line, we had the best player on the floor."

Miami, which led by 14-6 early in the first half, cut an 11-point second-deficit to 51-45 on a Harris 3-pointer with 6:58 left, but UVa responded with 3-point field goals by Adrian Joseph and Mamadi Diane on back-to-back possessions.

They were the first 3-pointers of the second half by the Cavaliers, who subsequently got a pair of 3-pointers by Singletary, who scored 10 points in a 2 minute, 29 second span as Miami was trying to stay in the game.

UVa actually had four double-figure scorers, including Reynolds, who said after the game that he was continuing to experience dizziness.

The Cavaliers have four days remaining before they visit No. 2-ranked Duke on Saturday.

"Ain't going to miss that one," Reynolds said.

 

Sean's sizzling show
Sean Singletary's one-man show lifts Virginia to a resounding win over Miami and into a tie for second place in the ACC. BY MELINDA WALDROP mwaldrop@dailypress.com 247-4634
January 25, 2006

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- As expected, a flashy guard put on a head-turning show Tuesday night.

But it was Virginia sophomore Sean Singletary drawing the oohs and ahs with 360-degree spinning jumpers and clutch 3-pointers as the Cavaliers beat Miami and buzzed-about junior Guillermo Diaz 71-51 at University Hall. The surprisingly one-sided victory gave U.Va. (10-6, 4-2), picked to finish last in the 12-team conference in coach Dave Leitao's first season, its third straight ACC victory and moved the Cavs into a second-place tie with N.C. State.

Singletary scored 29 points and performed the majority of his second-half heroics with backcourt mate J.R. Reynolds knocked woozy by a hard fall at the 15:44 mark of the second period.

"He's the best point guard in this league, (and) he showed it tonight," Miami coach Frank Haith said. "He put the game on his shoulders."

Meanwhile, Diaz, the head of the Hurricanes' three-pronged guard attack, struggled to a 10-point performance, more than six points below his season average.

His teammates didn't provide much help. Miami (11-8, 3-3) shot 31.7 percent, including 22 percent from 3-point range.

While Diaz faltered, Singletary shone, rallying the Cavs from an early eight-point deficit before propelling them to an insurmountable second-half advantage.

Singletary's full-revolution jumper in the lane pushed U.Va's lead to eight with 12:55 left before he polished off a fast break with a layup that gave Virginia its first 10-point lead at 46-36 a minute later.

That bulge came after Reynolds left the game after falling to the floor on a driving layup that gave U.Va. a 38-33 lead. He immediately reached for his head and lay sprawled on the court, being attended to by Virginia trainers while the crowd chanted his name. After several minutes, he lurched to his feet and to the Cavalier bench, where he dropped his head into his arms before being taken to the locker room.

Reynolds returned to the bench, but sat with a towel draped over his head for the remainder of the night.

"I thought he would come back into the game," Singletary said. "He's our primary scorer, so I knew I had to pick up the scoring. I was feeling it."

Leitao said doctors were with Reynolds after the game and his status was uncertain.

"He fell on his head and hit it pretty good," Leitao said. "The concern is how things go overnight."

If he had been up to it, Reynolds would've had plenty to cheer about as he took in Singletary's effort.

Miami tried to cut into U.Va.'s double-digit lead, but Singletary was having none of it. His one-handed runner gave U.Va. a 59-47 with 3:50 to play and earned Haith, arguing for a traveling call, a technical.

Singletary hit both free throws for a 61-47 advantage. Then, after a Miami basket, he drained a long-distance, off-balance 3-pointer to make it 64-49 with 3:01 to go.

Diaz hit a reverse layup on the other end, but Singletary popped a pullup jumper for a 66-51 Virginia lead with 1:48 to play. For good measure, Singletary, a Philadelphia native, added another 3-pointer to swell U.Va.'s lead to 69-51 with 1:20 left and his name echoing through the arena.

"There's this thing called Philly toughness, and he has it," Leitao said. "Matter of fact, he's got a triple dose of it."

Freshman center Lars Mikalauskas provided the final bucket with a tip-in that sent him hopping back down the court, waving his arms in jubilation.

Though it was hard to tell by the outcome, Tuesday's game pitted the two lowest-scoring offenses in the ACC. Miami and Virginia came into the game averaging just 68.7 points per game, tied for 11th in the conference. The Hurricanes were shooting .436 percent from the field, a number that topped only Virginia (.426).
 

VIRGINIA 71, UM MEN 51

Cold UM can't take heat from Virginia

The Canes fell to .500 in the ACC after shooting only 19 of 60 from the field against the Cavs. 'We were soft tonight,' coach Frank Haith said.

BY CAMMY CLARKcclark@MiamiHerald.comCHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - There are not many basketball teams that are going to win in the Atlantic Coast Conference by shooting only 19 of 60.
But the more telling reason for the University of Miami's 71-51 loss at Virginia on Tuesday night does not show up on the score sheet.
''The bottom line was we were soft tonight,'' UM coach Frank Haith said. ``We were not a tough basketball team. They were much tougher than us.
``They were taking balls out of our hands. Loose balls -- we were trying to pick them up while standing up. They're diving on the floor for them. We've got to change that. We didn't have that look about us.''
UM (11-8, 3-3 ACC) had the look of a team that still hadn't gotten over its heartbreaking, four-point loss at home to No. 21 Boston College on Saturday that ended its winning streak at four games.
Virginia (10-6, 4-2) played as if on a mission to prove wrong those who picked it to finish last in the preseason ACC poll.
The Hurricanes, who had started slowly in their previous two games, played strong early at University Hall.
Point guard Anthony Harris, who had an off night against Boston College, made his first three shots, his three-pointer giving UM a 17-10 lead.
UM made six of its first 12 shots, but that shooting touch disappeared. The Hurricanes began missing from outside and in close. And when Raymond Hicks made a basket, it didn't count because he had pushed off to get the rebound.
J.R. Reynolds, who burned UM for 32 points in the Cavaliers' ACC tournament win last season, hit two free throws to give Virginia its first lead of the night at 23-22. It was a lead the Cavaliers never relinquished.
GETTING COLD
''When they caught up, we looked like we were just going through the motions,'' Haith said.
UM guard Robert Hite made a three-pointer to start the second half to make it a three-point game. But that was as close as UM got.
Hite and Guillermo Diaz combined to shoot 5 of 27 for only 20 points. Harris led the team with 13.
''It was not a great day shooting,'' Diaz said.
Harris said the guards didn't attack as much as they should have, taking too many outside shots. The team was 6 of 27 in three-point attempts.
''We changed from man to zone to disrupt their rhythm just a tad,'' first-year Virginia coach Dave Leitao said. ``More importantly, we wanted to keep bodies in front of them. And when they catch it, give early help, earlier than normal.''
SINGLETARY SOLID
Virginia entered the game with confidence brimming from its upset of reigning champion North Carolina on Thursday. Even when second-leading scorer Reynolds went down in the second half after appearing to hit his head on the floor after scoring on a driving layup, the Cavaliers did not get rattled. Reynolds had 12 points when he left the game.
That's when 6-0 guard Sean Singletary, who entered as the third-leading scorer in the ACC averaging 18 points per game, took over.
''That's what great players do,'' Haith said. ``Great players make great plays.''
Singletary seemingly could not miss after Reynolds left the game. He finished with 29 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field.
Laurynas Mikalauskas came off the bench to score 12 points, mostly from in the paint. He averages just 5.8.
UM gave up 34 points in the paint.
''We can't come out here and play like we played tonight. That's embarrassing. Disappointing,'' Haith said. ``And we're going to change that.
``We may not win another game, but we won't have that kind of effort again.''
 

UVa men rout Miami
By Andy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
January 25, 2006

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Physically, Sean Singletary couldn't have felt any worse, bugged by a cold. It certainly didn't show.
Singletary scored 22 of his game-high 29 points in the second half of Virginia's 71-51 win over Miami at University Hall on Tuesday, helping the Cavaliers (10-6, 4-2 ACC) win their third straight and match their ACC win total from all of last year.

"He had one of those nights," Miami head coach Frank Haith said. "He's a fabulous player. He's the best point guard in the league. He showed it tonight."

The win moved Virginia into a second-place tie in the ACC with N.C. State, 1? games behind Duke.

Singletary took over the second half. J.R. Reynolds gave UVa a 38-33 lead on a layup with 15:43 remaining, but he landed awkwardly and hit his head on the floor. Reynolds went to the locker room and later returned to the bench. He never got back in the game, though, complaining of dizziness.

Singletary picked up the slack. The sophomore scored 20 points in the last 15:26, including 12 of Virginia's last 14 points.

"I didn't have much in the tank," Singletary said. "I was just running off pure adrenalin."

He was 11-for-17 from the field (8 of 10 in the second half) and his 29 points were second only to his 35-point effort against Gonzaga earlier this year.

"He told me during a timeout, he said, 'Man, I'm feeling hot today,'" UVa freshman forward Laurynas Mikalauskas said. "'It might be something special like the Gonzaga game.'"

"He was the best player on the floor," Virginia head coach Dave Leitao said. "I think, as I've said of him before, he's got an inner toughness and it doesn't come from practice, it doesn't come from me. It comes from his existence, and he showed it today when J.R. went down."

Miami's trio of guards aren't slouches either, but they had an off night. Guillermo Diaz, Robert Hite and Anthony Harris, who torched Virginia for 62 points in the Hurricanes' victory in University Hall last season, scored 33 points on Tuesday, going 10 of 36 from the field.

Diaz, the ACC's 11th leading scorer at 16.5 points per game, never found his stroke. After dropping 26 on UVa in last year's win, the junior had just 10 on Tuesday on 2 of 14 shooting. He was 1-for-9 from 3-point range. Hite, who is averaging 16.2 points per game, was 3-for-13 for 10 points.

Miami shot just 31.7 percent from the field for the game and was 6-for-27 from 3-point range.

Virginia also didn't let Miami's guards hound them on defense. The Cavaliers committed a season low eight turnovers. Point guard T.J. Bannister gave UVa a boost, playing 23 minutes, his most since returning from offseason sports hernia surgery, and dishing out four assists.

Reynolds finished with 12 points before leaving. Adrian Joseph added 11.

Miami (11-8, 3-3 ACC) led by seven early in the first half before UVa roared back to take a 32-26 halftime lead. UVa stretched its lead to 11 in the second half before the Hurricanes pulled within 51-45 on a 3-pointer with 6:56 to go by Harris, who led the 'Canes with 13 points.

But Joseph and Mamadi Diane hit back-to-back 3s to push UVa's lead back to 12.

Virginia kept the pressure on with its aggressiveness on the boards. Mikalauskas, who scored 12 points, had eight rebounds, ripping the ball out of a Miami player's hands on several occasions.

"We played with no toughness," Haith said. "Virginia played tougher. ? When they have guys rip the ball out of our hands, that's toughness."
 

Cavaliers blow out Hurricanes
Singletary leads Virginia with 29 points, 20 of which came after Reynolds went down with injury, Cavs now 4-2 in conference play
Barney Breen-Portnoy, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

There is just no stopping him. Buoyed by Sean Singletary's 22-point, second-half scoring outburst, Virginia cruised to a 71-51 victory over Miami last night at U-Hall. The sophomore point guard notched an overall total of 29 points on 11-17 shooting, including a three for eight mark from behind the arc.

"When the game was on the line we had Sean Singletary, and he was the best player on the floor," Virginia coach Dave Leitao said. "He put the game on his shoulders and the rest is history. His 29 points were very, very loud for us."

Virginia (10-6, 4-2 ACC) extended its conference winning streak to three games with the victory.

"For the third game in a row I thought we played with some mental focus and toughness," Leitao said. "There were certain spots in the game when the ebb and flow could have gone one way or another, and we responded well. For example, in the second half we rebounded much better than we did earlier on."

The Cavaliers were successful in limiting the damage done by Miami's renowned trio of guards. Junior guard Guillermo Diaz posted an atrocious two of 14 shooting mark. Senior Robert Hite did not fare much better, knocking down only three of 13 shots. Junior point guard Anthony Harris led the Hurricanes with 13 points.

"We changed from man to zone, and that disrupted their rhythm just a tad," Leitao said. "Our game plan was to keep our bodies in front of them as best as we could. We practiced not letting [Miami's guards] get free looks at the basket. We also eventually rotated down enough to make rebounds as well."

A scary moment for Virginia occurred with 15:43 left in the second half when sophomore guard J.R. Reynolds hit the ground hard after scoring on a lay up. Reynolds did not return to the game and appeared woozy when he returned to the bench after being examined in the locker room.

"He is being evaluated," Leitao said following the game. "He fell on his head and hit it pretty good."

The injury to their second-leading scorer did not daunt the Cavaliers. They outscored the Hurricanes 33-18 after Reynolds' injury.

"We huddled up quickly, and we knew that we couldn't do anything about [the injury], and we just had to win the game," freshman forward Laurynas Mikalauskas said. "We wanted to prove that we can play no matter what. J.R. is a great player, but when J.R. can't play, someone else has to step up."

Mikalauskas had his second-straight productive performance, recording 12 points and leading Virginia with eight rebounds. Miami coach Frank Haith credited Mikalauskas for his ability to take the ball away from Miami players on several occasions. The improvement in Mikalauskas' play has not gone unnoticed by Leitao.

"Something has gone off inside of him that has allowed him to increase his aggressiveness while staying out of foul trouble," Leitao said.

The Cavaliers came out of the gate slow and were behind 17-10 with around 12 minutes remaining in the first half. Virginia then went on a 9-2 run that included three pointers from Singletary and Adrian Joseph to tie the game up at 19. The Cavaliers took a 23-22 lead on a Reynolds free throw with 7:41 remaining in the half and never trailed throughout the rest of the contest. Reynolds scored 12 points before his injury and Joseph also contributed 11 points in Virginia's winning effort.

 

Singletary takes his game to the next level in win over Miami
Adrian Vigil, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor

Everybody who sees Sean Singletary today should thank him. No, they should all bow down and worship the ground he walks on, in the futile hope that maybe, just maybe, some of his basketball prowess will rub off on them. Regardless of what people do when they see Singletary around Grounds, they need to realize that we have in our midst one of the most talented and impressive basketball players in the nation.

Singletary was the most obvious reason for Virginia's win over Miami last night –- a win that showed he will not let his team finish last in the ACC as was predicted prior to this season. It was a game where Singletary showed that he would single handedly attempt to change the perceptions many have about Virginia basketball. And, probably most importantly, it was a game that showed the undeniable fact that Singletary is a star. He has clearly left the realm of rising stars, along the way leaving players like Miami's Guillermo Diaz in his wake.

Even Miami's head coach Frank Haith admitted that Singletary is the best point guard in the ACC. Haith should know, because he altered his usual zone defense in an attempt to stop Singletary. It didn't work. The Hurricanes allowed Singletary to score 29 points, the highest total they have allowed an individual player to score all season long.

Singletary simply took over the game; there is no other way to describe it. With Virginia's second-leading scorer, J.R. Reynolds, on the floor with an apparent concussion, there was much thought as to who would pick up the slack. Why did we even wonder? It was obviously going to be Singletary.

"He's one of our primary scorers, so I knew that I was going to have to pick up some of the scoring load," Singletary said. "I was able to do that, and we got the win."

Singletary is more than a little understated in his comments. He did more than pick up the "scoring load." He scored 19 of his points after Reynolds left the court. He also directly created every one of Virginia's final thirteen points (scoring 11 and assisting on a Laurynas Mikalauskas lay-up), showing that he could put the dagger in the heart of an opponent.

It is not very often that you see a player so entirely in control of what is happening on the court. Singletary was simply playing on a different level than anyone else last night. It was apparent that Virginia's offensive thinking changed in the closing minutes, as every play seemed designed for Singletary. If they weren't designed that way, then Singletary made sure to find a way to make sure he would end up with the ball by running through numerous screens to lose his defender.

Singletary showed what Virginia coach Dave Leitao would call a "Philly toughness" in the win, because, not only did Singletary dominate the game, he did it while sick. He was the best player on the court, and he wasn't even at full strength. Taking that fact into account, one wouldn't be out of line to say that Singletary gave one of the better performances by a Virginia basketball player in recent memory, maybe even ever.

But I shouldn't get too carried away in my praise of Singletary. There was a first-half comeback from an eight-point deficit, very good team defensive play and two huge three point shots from Adrian Joseph and Mamadi Diane, but I am going to give most of the credit for this victory to the man who wears number 44.
 

Virginia takes care of Miami
Singletary steps up after Reynolds goes down; Cavs win 3rd straight
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Jan 25, 2006

CHARLOTTESVILLE - For the final 15 minutes, 43 seconds last night, Virginia played without J.R. Reynolds, its second-leading scorer. But the Cavaliers still had Sean Singletary, and that was enough.

The sophomore guard from Philadelphia took over the game with a performance that will rank among the finest seen at University Hall.

"I think he's the best point guard in this league, and he showed that tonight," Miami coach Frank Haith said.

Singletary scored 20 points, on a dazzling array of moves, after Reynolds left with a head injury. He finished with 29 as U.Va. routed ACC rival Miami 71-51 before a late-night crowd of 8,075. Singletary was 8 for 10 from the floor in the second half.

"When J.R. went down, a light went off inside him, and he just took the game on his shoulders," Virginia coach Dave Leitao said. "The rest is history.

"There's this thing called Philly toughness, and he has it. In fact, he's got a triple dose of it."

Virginia (4-2, 10-6) won its third straight game and moved into a tie with N.C. State (4-2, 15-3) for second place in the ACC. Not since routing No. 2 North Carolina 86-66 on Feb. 25, 2001, had the Cavaliers beaten an ACC foe by so large a margin.

Miami came in having allowed 61.3 points per game, the fewest of any ACC team.

The'Canes (3-3, 11-8) shot only 31.7 percent on a night when their vaunted three-guard lineup struggled. Anthony Harris scored a team-high 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting, but Guillermo Diaz and Robert Hite were a combined 5 for 27 from the floor.

Miami scored the game's first four points, and Virginia didn't pull even until sophomore swingman Adrian Joseph's 3-pointer made it 19-all with 8:56 left in the first half. The Hurricanes regained the lead on a Harris trey, but the Cavaliers, buoyed by their fans, dominated the rest of the half.

U.Va. outscored Miami 13-4 in the final 8:01 to take a six-point lead into the break.

The'Canes shot only 27.3 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes, struggling to convert against Virginia's aggressive 2-3 zone. The Wahoos, by comparison, shot brilliantly, hitting 44.4 percent of their attempts from the floor.

Laurynas Mikalauskas, one of the heroes of U.Va.'s victory over North Carolina last week, provided another lift last night. The 6-8, 241-pound freshman came off the bench to contribute eight points and four rebounds in the first half. Mikalauskas finished with 12 points and eight boards.

Back-to-back treys by Joseph and freshman swingman Mamadi Diane pushed Virginia's lead to 57-45 with 5:43 to play, and Singletary did the rest. He scored 12 of the Cavs' final 14 points and assisted on the other basket.

"He had one of those nights," Haith said.

With 15:43 left, Reynolds crashed to the floor after making a contested layup that gave him 12 points. He lay on the court for about a minute, holding his head, before being helped to his feet and then back to the bench.

Reynolds, who scored a career-high 32 points in a win over Miami in last year's ACC tournament, was taken to the locker room with 14:16 left. He took his seat again at the 7:51 mark and watched the rest of the game with a towel on his head.