UVa breaks skid with win over Tigers
By ANDREW JOYNER
Daily Progress staff writer
Virginia coach Pete Gillen has said it before. He said after wins earlier this
season over Georgetown and then after a victory against at North Carolina.
When he uttered it again Sunday after the Cavaliers ended a four-game losing
streak with a 85-71 victory against Clemson at University Hall, it could not be
called redundant because it’s likely was more true this time than before.
“This was a badly needed victory. I’ve said this before but it was our
biggest win of the year but when you lose four in a row and can get a win in
your next game that’s your biggest win,” Gillen said.
Roger Mason Jr. led Virginia with 23 points as the Cavaliers (15-6, 5-5 ACC)
avenged a 68-52 loss to Clemson on Jan. 8 and handed the struggling Tigers
(11-3, 2-9 ACC) their eighth straight loss. Junior center Travis Watson had 20
points and 10 rebounds — his 13th double-double of the season and 34th of his
career — while Chris Williams added 18, 15 of which came in the second half.
Gillen had called Sunday’s contest a crossroads game after a 85-68 loss at
N.C. State on Wednesday. That assessment took on a greater significance when the
Tigers’ erased a 44-39 UVa halftime lead and tied it at 50 with 15:11
remaining in the game.
Just for a moment, the worst-case scenario crept into Gillen’s head.
“It would have been a big, big, big hurdle to overcome,” said Gillen about
his team’s NCAA tournament possibilities if Clemson had sent his team to a
fifth straight loss.
Instead, the Cavaliers responded with what certainly qualified as its best
stretch of basketball in two weeks as they outscored Clemson 15-0 over the next
four minutes. The spurt was keyed by something that used to be a staple of
Gillen’s teams at Virginia but had been absent for much of this season:
high-intensity pressure defense.
The defense caused several turnovers in the stretch including a steal and layup
by Mason that pushed the lead to 56-50 with 13:25 to go that forced Clemson
coach Larry Shyatt to take a timeout. The stoppage, however, did not exactly
slow down the Cavaliers. They scored the games next nine points and when
freshman guard Keith Jenifer hit a jumper after Williams had connected on a trey
on the previous possession, Virginia led 65-50 with 11:29 remaining.
“We haven’t pressed that effectively this year so it would have to be last
year since we pressed like that,” Williams said. “Coach Gillen was talking
about that and so was [UVa assistant coach] Walt [Fuller]. We haven’t pressed
like that for a while but today we stepped up and got the turnovers we
needed.”
The Tigers could not recover after that stretch as the closest they got the rest
of the game was 12.
Jamar McKnight led Clemson with 18 points while Chris Hobbs added 15.
If there sense of urgency level was as high as Gillen expressed it to be than no
UVa player was more reflective of that Williams.
The senior forward had just two points and was 0 for 5 from the floor against
N.C. State. That earned Williams an admonishment from Gillen and it’s one that
he’s heard quite often during his Virginia career: Be more aggressive.
After scoring just three points in the first half on a 3-pointer 2:47 into the
game, Williams was scoreless for nearly 18 minutes. His delayed response to his
coach’s words, however, finally occurred as he scored those 15 second-half
points to spur his team.
“He had a great second half. ... He was more aggressive. He’s a senior and
we need him to be aggressive and we’ve talked to him a couple times in the
last few weeks about that,” Gillen said. “He’s not Superman and we don’t
need that but we do need him to be Chris Williams. ... He did everything
tonight.”
After the game, Williams defined what he believed “playing more aggressive”
meant.
“It’s taking more open shots. Being more aggressive on the dribble and
playing defense and finding the open man. It’s just being more assertive,”
Williams said.
Virginia, which led by as many as 11 in the first half, led 44-39 at the half as
Gillen implemented a “new” starting lineup. Instead of forward J.C. Mathis
and Jenifer, he opted to start freshmen forward Jason Clark and guard Jermaine
Harper. Harper finished with seven points in 26 minutes while Clark had just two
points in 15 minutes but the change alone seemed to have the desired effect for
the Cavaliers.
“It was because we lost four in a row and just had to get a change,” Gillen
explained. “We can’t stay status quo. We weren’t blaming anybody
certainly. It wasn’t that the guys we were playing weren’t play well, it was
just the group. ... We just had to do something. We’ll go day-by-day and
evaluate it.”
Virginia responds in clutch
By JERRY RATCLIFFE
Daily Progress sports editor
If there was any question as to how desperate Virginia’s basketball team was
for a win coming into Sunday’s game, Coach Pete Gillen cleared it up with his
opening statement after an 85-71 victory over Clemson.
“This was our biggest win of the year,” said Gillen, who is most likely the
only coach in the ACC to utter such a phrase after a win over last-place
Clemson.
But his Cavaliers were reeling after four straight losses, the most recent of
which, a lopsided defeat at N.C. State last Wednesday night, was easily their
worst performance in quite some time. So, Clemson provided an opportunity to get
well and as the old sailors say, “Any port in a storm.”
Gillen realized he had to do something to shake his team up and changed the
starting lineup by inserting freshman Jason Clark in favor of sophomore J.C.
Mathis at the power forward spot. He also stressed denying the ball from Tigers
guard Ed Scott, who was second in the nation in assists.
Scott, playing with a 102-degree fever, still dished out eight (but was held to
only one in the second half) and Clemson still offered strong resistance as the
Tigers searched for a way to stop their own losing streak, which now stands at
eight in a row. Clemson hasn’t won a game since beating Virginia on Jan. 8.
But the big difference Sunday was that the Cavaliers got leadership from its
three most experienced players on the floor: senior Chris Williams and juniors
Travis Watson and Roger Mason Jr.
“As the game progressed, it was clear to me that their three go-to guys made
the difference,” said Clemson coach Larry Shyatt.
Watson produced yet another double-double (20 points, 10 rebounds), Mason scored
23 and most importantly, Williams showed up big time with 18 points and a strong
defensive effort against Clemson’s Jamar McKnight. Williams had failed to
score in UVa’s previous game against the Tigers and had scored just three
points in the Cavaliers’ loss to the Wolfpack last week.
“We don’t need Chris to be Superman, we just need him to be Chris
Williams,” said Gillen. “He did everything tonight and that’s important
because he’s the only senior playing.”
Mason was thrilled to see Williams turn in the type of effort that earned the
Alabama native the nickname “Big Smooth” during his freshman year at UVa.
“That’s the Chris Williams I’m used to,” said Mason. “He doesn’t
need to score 25 points a night but just needs to be himself. I’m told him
that he is the key to our whole team. If he’s 0 for 20 on 3-pointers, I can
live with that, but he still needs to shoot them. He’s going to have to play
the same way the rest of the season if we’re going to be successful.”
Virginia evened its ACC record at 5-5 with the win and improved to 15-6 overall
with a chance to take it up another notch Tuesday when bitter rival North
Carolina comes to town.
The Cavaliers insisted that even though the Tar Heels are not the Carolina of
old, it’s still North Carolina.
“How big is that game going to be?” said Mason. “It’s North Carolina.
It’s monumental.”
Williams seconded Mason’s thoughts.
“It’s still Carolina,” said the Cavalier senior. “We have to win as many
games as we can to get to the tournament.”
At this stage, Williams is exactly right. Every win from this moment on is going
to be huge for Virginia as the former Top 10 team fights to earn its way into
the NCAA Tournament. There are six regular season games to be played and two of
those are against Duke and Maryland. There are road trips to Wake Forest and
Florida State (a place where No. 1 Duke was knocked off), so there are no gimmes
left.
Gillen is not only going to have to coach his basketball team from here out,
he’s also going to have to do a masterful job in team and individual
psychology to inspire this team to recapture the fire it had a few weeks ago, to
play its basketball when it most needs to and to not suffer any emotional slumps
along the way.
We may get tired of hearing Pete say after each victory, that it was
Virginia’s biggest win of the year. But it’s a phrase Virginia fans can live
with if it becomes Gillen’s opening statement on a regular basis down the home
stretch.
If the Virginia men's basketball team is successful in the second half of upcoming ACC and tournament play, it just might look back on the last 15 minutes of last night's 85-71 victory over the struggling Clemson team (11-13, 2-9 ACC) as a turning point in this season.
After Clemson freshman Jamar McKnight hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 50 with 15 minutes, 11 seconds remaining, the Cavaliers (14-6, 5-5) rode their full-court press to a 15-0 run.
"When we were tied at 50, we all felt flat out on the floor," junior guard Roger Mason Jr. said. "It was important for us to turn up the defensive intensity and get some easy baskets to start our run. That is the way we like to play, with an up-and-down tempo."
Mason, who led all scorers with 23 points, started the run with two free throws and a layup off a steal. After two free throws by senior forward Chris Williams, junior center Travis Watson stole the ball and intentionally was fouled by Clemson's Ed Scott.
Following Watson's two free throws, Mason found a wide-open Williams in the corner, who proceeded to knock down a three-pointer and give the Cavaliers a 13-point lead, which Clemson would not overcome.
"I wanted to be more aggressive in the second half," Williams said. "Take the ball to the basket and get to the free throw line. Coach told me to be a little more aggressive on the offensive end."
Watson chipped in with his 14th double-double of the season, scoring 20 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Williams, who only scored three points in the first half, came up big in the second half with 17 points.
Sparked by a tenacious defense and a shift in the starting lineup, Virginia ran out to a quick start. Freshmen Jason Clark and Jermaine Harper started in the place of sophomore forward J.C. Mathis and freshman guard Keith Jenifer.
The Cavaliers made eight of their first 12 shots to grab an early 20-9 lead, though the pesky Tigers hung around with hot shooting of their own.
After falling behind by 11 twice in the first half, Clemson closed to within five points going into the break. Virginia shot 57 percent in the first half, with the Tigers staying close at a 52 percent clip.
"We played pretty good in the first half," Clark said. "But we needed to play better defense. I think we started to see that in the second half."
After losing four straight games, three of those to ranked opponents, the Cavaliers refused to let McKnight and the Tigers deny them an ACC win.
"We played really good defense in the second half," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said. "This was the biggest win of the year, because we were reeling. They played us tough, but it was a very physical game. We really picked it up in the second half."
To put it bluntly, the Cavaliers came into yesterday's men's basketball game against Clemson reeling from four consecutive losses. To say that something had to change is an understatement. Virginia had to shake things up and get back to doing what they do best: Press.
Against the Tigers, they did just that.
"We needed a change," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said. "After four straight losses, we couldn't keep it status quo."
Gillen pulled a rabbit out of his hat with his new starting lineup. He started energetic freshman Jason Clark at power forward, and speedy Jermaine Harper at the two, sliding Roger Mason Jr. back to the point. Chris Williams and Travis Watson stayed at the three and five, respectively.
This lineup proved extremely fruitful as Virginia jumped out to an early 13-3 advantage. The Cavaliers seemed to "click," stifling the Tigers on defense while knocking down shots on offense. This type of out-of-the-gate energy has eluded Virginia in their conference season thus far, as they have been forced to play catch-up far too often. This early domination of the Tigers made spectators believe that the Cavaliers would cruise to the victory. But, true to this season, nothing comes that easy for the Cavaliers.
Once Gillen went to the bench, Clemson took advantage of the barely existent Virginia defense. The Tigers came back to tie the game at 50, and it looked as if the Cavaliers would find themselves spending March at U-Hall for the NIT instead of competing for the national championship in the NCAA tournament.
At that moment, the Cavaliers finally did something they haven't done successfully all season. Press.
It has forever been the first chapter of the Gillen Guide to Basketball, but this season, Virginia has looked lethargic running the press - as if they were doing it out of force of habit instead of doing it to wreak havoc.
Thankfully, all of that changed yesterday as the Cavaliers, playing with a sense of urgency, pressed quickly and aggressively. This fueled Virginia's 15-0 run and propelled them to the much-needed conference win.
"We wanted to make a statement on the defensive end," Williams said. "Our run was sparked by our defense."
Gillen agreed with his senior forward.
"Our defense was the difference," he said. "Our press gave us some energy, we got back to who we are."
Turning defense to offense is what Virginia basketball has been about ever since Gillen set foot in Charlottesville. It is unfortunate that it took being tied with the lowly Tigers at home for Virginia finally to execute their style of play with an urgency that only being on the bubble will give a team.
Beyond free pizza and donuts, Gillen has a responsibility to Virginia fans. That responsibility simply is making sure that the scoreboard shows a higher number under "VIRGINIA" than under "VISITOR" (unless the Cavs are on the road, of course).
Throughout the Cavaliers' four straight loses, Gillen had not done what was needed to pull out victories. Granted, Virginia faced off against top-notch opponents, but the Cavaliers could have won at least two of those contests.
To his credit, Gillen has done a masterful job responding to Virginia's tough stretch by getting back to what Virginia basketball is all about.
If Gillen can get his squad to build upon this type of effort, no one should be able to burst the Virginia bubble.
Cavaliers End Losing Streak in a Hurry
By Jim Reedy
Special to The Washington Post
Monday, February 11, 2002; Page D09
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Feb. 10 -- A visit from Clemson, a team tied for last in the ACC, seemed to cure Virginia's ills today. The 10th-ranked Cavaliers broke a four-game losing skid by turning on the jets in the second half of an 85-71 win at University Hall.
With the score tied at 50 five minutes into the second half, Virginia's top three players -- guard Roger Mason Jr., center Travis Watson and forward Chris Williams -- scored 13 points in a 15-0 Cavaliers run. The Tigers ended their drought with nine minutes left, but Virginia maintained at least a 12-point lead for the rest of the game.
"We couldn't lose this game," said Williams, a senior who had 18 points after scoring just two in the Cavaliers' 85-68 loss at N.C. State on Wednesday. "It was on our home floor and it was a desperate situation. Throughout the whole game, when they were fighting back, we just had that in mind."
Mason had 23 points, the sixth time this season he has scored at least 20, and Watson added 20 points and 10 rebounds. The Cavaliers (15-6, 5-5 ACC) also got offensive help from the inconsistent Williams, who scored 15 of his 18 in the second half.
In Virginia's 68-52 loss at Clemson on Jan. 8 -- a win the Tigers (11-13, 2-9) have now followed with eight consecutive losses -- Williams went scoreless for the only time in his 111-game career. This afternoon, Williams had his fourth-best scoring output of the season and played improved defense on Clemson forward Jamar McKnight (18 points on 5-of-11 shooting), who scored 25 in the teams' first meeting.
"In the first half [today], he was okay," said Virginia Coach Pete Gillen, who criticized Williams's assertiveness on Wednesday night. "He was more aggressive [in the second half]. We need him, as a senior, to be aggressive. I've talked to him a couple times in the last couple weeks."
Freshmen Jason Clark and Jermaine Harper earned their first starts of the season, joining Mason, Watson and Williams in the opening lineup in lieu of sophomore forward J.C. Mathis and freshman point guard Keith Jenifer.
"We had lost four in a row," said Gillen, who -- for the third time this season -- termed the win the biggest of the year. "We couldn't stay with the status quo. It wasn't necessarily that [Mathis and Jenifer] weren't playing well. We had to do something." Virginia's new starting lineup played the first 6 1/2 minutes and built a 20-11 lead. The Cavaliers took advantage of Clemson's missed shots, often scoring before the Tigers had time to get set defensively.
"That [lineup change] brought energy and defense from the start," Clark said. "We haven't had that very often this year."
With 13 minutes 23 seconds left in the half, Gillen sent in Mathis and Jenifer for Clark and Harper. Over the next 5 1/2 minutes, Clemson switched to a 2-3 zone and stifled the Cavaliers, cutting the lead to 27-25 on a jumper from the wing by freshman Chey Christie (14 points). Five minutes before halftime, Virginia's lead had shrunk to one.
The Cavaliers held a 44-39 halftime lead, and their 15-0 run -- fueled by a return of their full-court trapping defense -- proved an effective answer to Clemson's initial second-half burst.
"When we started pressing, it was very good for us," said Mason, who had two steals and helped Virginia to a 25-11 advantage in points off turnovers. "Guys got hyped, [the Tigers] turned the ball over and we got some easy buckets."
Virginia also did a better job on Clemson point guard Ed Scott, who had only one of his eight assists in the second half.
"The last five or six teams have tried to keep the ball out of Scott's hands," Tigers Coach Larry Shyatt said. "Virginia did it pretty well."
Williams pulls U.Va. out of slump
CHARLOTTESVILLE - Chris Williams awoke yesterday from a slumber that had lasted three halves. His timing couldn't have been better.
Williams and his Virginia teammates entered yesterday's game with Clemson having lost four straight, and a fifth consecutive defeat "would have been a big, big, big, big hurdle to overcome," fourth-year coach Pete Gillen said.
Not to worry. Williams, a two-time all-conference selection and former ACC rookie of the year, scored 15 second-half points to help the 10th-ranked Cavaliers send the Tigers to their eighth straight loss.
Four days after scoring two points at N.C. State, Williams had 18 as U.Va. rolled 85-71 before 7,438 fans at University Hall. He also had four assists, three rebounds and one steal and helped limit Jamar McKnight, who'd scored 25 points in Clemson's 68-52 win over U.Va. last month, to 18.
"That's the Chris Williams I'm used to," said junior guard Roger Mason Jr., who played all 40 minutes and scored a game-high 23 points. "We're not going to win games if Chris isn't aggressive. That's the bottom line."
Williams hit his first shot from the floor, a 3-pointer at the 17:13 mark of the opening half, but attempted only two more field goals before the break. Virginia led 44-39 at the half, but Williams' lack of assertiveness was a concern.
"We don't need him to be Superman, but he's got to be Chris Williams," Gillen said.
Williams' thoughts at halftime? "Just be more aggressive," he said. "Take the ball to the hole a little bit and try to get to the foul line."
He opened the second half with a basket inside, and his steal set up a fast-break layup by Mason that gave Virginia a 50-47 lead with 15:26 left. But the Tigers (2-9, 11-13) tied the game on a McKnight trey and had a chance to take the lead after a U.Va. turnover. But sophomore forward Chris Hobbs missed an open jumper, and at the other end, center Travis Watson tipped in an errant 3-point attempt by Mason to start a 15-0 run that blew open the game.
Until then, Clemson coach Larry Shyatt said, "I thought the game was swinging our way. But the game turned on Virginia's pressure, their physicality."
The Tigers went 4:21 without scoring. U.Va. eventually built a 16-point lead, and Clemson never got closer than 12 thereafter. The Tigers, who shot 51.7 percent in the first half, hit 44.4 percent after intermission.
"I thought our defense was the difference," Gillen said.
Having Watson didn't hurt, either. The 6-8, 255-pound junior finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals and only one turnover. Against the Wolfpack, Watson had had a career-high seven turnovers. He wasn't the only culprit. The Cavaliers had 20 turnovers against State - they'd had 20 three days earlier against Missouri, too - but only 11 yesterday.
Gillen shook up his starting lineup, starting freshman guard Jermaine Harper and freshman forward Jason Clark for freshman Keith Jenifer and sophomore J.C. Mathis, respectively.
"It wasn't necessarily those guys weren't playing well," Gillen said. "We had to get a change. We just couldn't be status quo, not after you lose four in a row."
Virginia, notorious for slow starts this season, bolted out of the gate yesterday, hitting four 3-pointers in the first six minutes and taking a 20-9 lead on a Clark basket inside at the 13:51 mark.
15-0 2nd-half run helps U.Va. halt
4-game skid
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- With its
season at a crossroads, Virginia arrived at another critical intersection Sunday
afternoon against Clemson.
The score was 50-50, a precarious balance for Virginia. Up 10 early in the
contest, the Cavaliers were teetering, and it seemed the slightest nudge of
momentum from Clemson would tilt the outcome in the Tigers' favor.
Instead, it was Virginia that nudged the outcome its way -- shoved it
actually -- with a 15-0 run that led to a badly needed 85-71 win, the Cavaliers'
first in five games.
``This was our biggest win of the year, because we were reeling,'' coach Pete
Gillen said.
No. 10 Virginia (15-6, 5-5 ACC) had dropped four straight, the latest a
disheartening 85-68 loss to N.C. State Wednesday. After that game, Gillen
declared that the season was at a crossroads. The Cavaliers would either ``fold
their arms'' or ``come out swinging,'' he said.
They did the latter, jumping out to a 13-3 lead with a revamped starting
lineup that included freshmen Jason ``We'd lost four in a row,'' Gillen said. ``We had to have a change. We can't
stay with the status quo.''
Virginia, a slow-starting team all year, dropped in five 3-pointers in the
first nine minutes to build a 25-15 lead. But then Clemson point guard Edward
Scott began knifing through Virginia's defense and finding open teammates.
Clemson cut the lead to five at halftime and pulled even at 50 with 15:10 left.
Gillen called time and exhorted a quiet crowd of 7,438 to make some noise.
The fans did, and kept it up as the Cavaliers reeled off 15 straight.
``Their defense turned it up a notch, and their crowd turned it up a notch as
well,'' Clemson forward Chris Hobbs said.
Virginia forward Chris Williams broke out of a funk as well. After scoring
just two points against N.C. State, Williams had just three at halftime Sunday.
He scored 15 in the second half to finish with 18.
``Shots just started to fall,'' Williams said. ``Today, everybody was being
aggressive.''
The aggressiveness paid off at the free-throw line, where Virginia made 22 of
26 in the second half. With Clemson forced to abandon the 2-3 zone defense it
played much of the game, the Cavaliers drove to the basket.
Roger Mason Jr. led Virginia with 23 points, nine of them from the line.
Travis Watson added 20 and 10 rebounds.
``I thought the game was swinging our way,'' Clemson coach Larry Shyatt said.
``But the game turned on Virginia's pressure, their physicality.''
It also turned on Virginia's ballhanding. After committing 20 turnovers each
of the last two games, Virginia had 11 Sunday, just three in the second half.
``This is hopefully a turning point for us,'' Williams said.
Virginia hosts North Carolina Tuesday night.
``We're not good enough to look past any team on our schedule,'' Gillen said.
``They are going to give us everything we can handle.''
By ED MILLER, The
Virginian-Pilot
© February 11,
2002
| Williams snaps out of funk in 2nd half |
| Thanks to 15 second-half points from Chris Williams, the Cavaliers end their four-game losing streak. |
| By
DOUG DOUGHTY THE ROANOKE TIMES |
CHARLOTTESVILLE - The Chris Williams watch continued Sunday afternoon at University Hall, where coaches, teammates and fans waited for Virginia's senior co-captain to come out of his two-week funk. After a first half in which his passive play persisted, Williams scored 15 of his 18 points after halftime as 10th-ranked UVa snapped a four-game losing streak with an 85-71 victory over Clemson. "That's the Chris Williams I'm used to," said Virginia guard Roger Mason Jr., who led all scorers with 23 points. "I said it earlier: We're not going to win many games if he's not aggressive. "I told him, 'Chris, you shot 0-for-5 [against North Carolina State]. I'd be happy if you shot 0-for-20 because you're a key to this team. If you're 0-for-20, I'll live with that, but 0-for-5? You need to give yourself more of a chance.'" Williams' turnaround Sunday started at the defensive end. Clemson, which trailed 15-5 to start the game, had cut the deficit to 48-47 when Williams stole the ball from Jamar McKnight and started a fast break that ended with a Mason layup with just over 15 minutes left. The Tigers (11-13, 2-9 ACC) forced a 50-50 tie on a McKnight 3-pointer, but they were not to score again for nearly 4 1/2 minutes, by which time Virginia (15-6, 5-5) had taken command with a 15-0 run. "We were in the huddle and Coach [Pete] Gillen said, 'We've got to get a stop; we've got to get a stop,'" said Williams, referring to a timeout with 15:47 left. "We got one, then we got another, then we got another." The Cavaliers forced four turnovers with a press designed to keep the ball out of the hands of Clemson point guard Edward Scott. Scott, the ACC assists leader, had seven assists in the first half but was limited to one assist and had two turnovers in the second half. "The last five or six teams - maybe more - have false-trapped him and tried to get the ball out of Eddie's hands," Clemson coach Larry Shyatt said. "The kid had a 102-degree fever and had a pretty rough evening [Saturday]. That's why I know we have something special." It was the Tigers' eighth straight loss, but the Cavaliers weren't about to take the Tigers lightly. In fact, Clemson's last victory had come over Virginia, 68-52, in the Cavaliers' most lopsided setback until they lost at North Carolina State, 85-68, on Wednesday night. "This was a badly needed victory," Gillen said. "You've heard me say it before, but this was our biggest win of the year because we were reeling from a tough stretch. I thought our defense was the difference." Another key factor was UVa's ball-handling. After committing 20 turnovers in each of their losses last week, the Cavaliers had 11 against the Tigers, including three in the second half. Mason started at point guard following a lineup change that saw freshmen Jason Clark and Jermaine Harper get the first starts of their careers. Freshman Keith Jenifer, who had started nine consecutive games at the point, played 21 minutes off the bench. J.C. Mathis also lost his starting job. "We'd lost four in a row," Gillen said. "We had to get a change. We couldn't stay status quo. We weren't blaming anybody. The guys we took out weren't playing poorly, necessarily. One of our veterans didn't play well." The reference was to Williams, who had two points against the Wolfpack. "We don't need him to be Superman, but he's got to be Chris Williams," Gillen said. "He doesn't need to score 15 a game, but he needs to do something to help the team. He did everything. Our three veterans played really, really well." Travis Watson had 20 points and 12 rebounds for his second 20-10 game in succession and the fourth of his career. Mason, Watson and Williams combined for 61 points, 18 rebounds, 12 assists and only four turnovers. "It's been real hard the last couple of weeks," Williams said. "This is my last year and we really want to get into the [NCAA] Tournament this year. Losing those four games didn't help us and we definitely couldn't afford to lose this one." |
Cavaliers climb back, conquer Clemson