No charity for Cavs
Poor free-throw shooting sinks UVa
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
February 20, 2005

The charity stripe only brought the Cavaliers pain Saturday afternoon.

Virginia went a dismal 12 of 27 from the free-throw line - including a dreadful 3 of 13 performance from Elton Brown - as it lost a heartbreaking double overtime contest to No. 22 Maryland, 92-89, at University Hall.

If there was every an argument for one statistic costing a team a game, this was it because in almost every other category the Cavaliers did enough to leave the arena as victors.

They rallied from a six-point deficit with 2:39 left in regulation and forced overtime on Gary Forbes’

3-pointer with four seconds left. Then they rallied again from seven down in the first overtime to send the game to another extra session.

All their might, however, was erased at the line as Brown missed free throw after free throw and erased any remote NCAA Tournament hopes in the process.

“We played as hard as we could play. … We shot 12 of 27 from the free-throw line. As hard as we played and as great as we played, you have to make free throws to win,” Gillen said. “All the good things you do are hurt by that stat.”

John Gilchrist had 22 points for Maryland (16-8, 7-6 ACC) and Travis Garrison added 20 while Nik Caner-Medley finished with 19.

Sean Singletary, scintillating at the end of regulation and the overtimes before fouling out in the second overtime, had 23 points and nine assists for Virginia. Devin Smith finished with 22 and Forbes netted 17. Brown had a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds but of course it would be a triple-double if missed free throws were counted.

“Every loss is disappointing and every loss is tough but this one was really tough,” said Forbes, who like Singletary fouled out in the second OT and had to watch helplessly from the bench.

Added Gillen: “They’re bleeding now because they really wanted to win but only one team can win.”

The teams were tied at 30 at halftime in what was a nip-and-tuck affair that never saw either team lead by more than eight at any point.

Virginia was the first to create any space when it opened a 48-42 advantage on a 3-pointer by Smith with 14:58 left in regulation. The Cavaliers still led 52-47 with 11:19 left when the Terps used a 15-2 run to surge to a 62-54 lead with

6:29 remaining. That Maryland spurt was started by an offensive rebound of a missed free throw that Chris McCray converted into a trey.

“We didn’t get to some loose balls and some rebounds and it is the little things like that cost you a game,” Singletary said.

Virginia still trailed 67-61 with 2:39 left in regulation but managed to force the first extra session thanks in large part to Forbes. Forbes connected on a driving layup with 27 seconds left and then buried a trey with just four seconds to go in regulation to knot the game at 69.

The Terps immediately stole the Cavaliers’ momentum as they raced to a 76-69 lead with 3:34 remaining in the first overtime. This time, it was Singletary’s turn to single-handedly bring his team back despite playing on a sprained right ankle suffered near the end of regulation.

First, Singletary nailed a trey to cut the deficit to 80-76. Moments later, he fired a pass to an open J.R. Reynolds who canned a 3-pointer from the right corner to make it 80-79. Then with 20 seconds left in the extra period, Singletary hit another trey to tie the game at 82 and that forced the additional overtime.

“He was unbelievable. Playing with a gimpy ankle he was hitting 3s. He was just spectacular,” Gillen said.

Following the same script as the first overtime, the Terps jumped to a four-point advantage but again the Cavaliers rallied. Two Singletary drives and a putback by Brown gave Virginia a 89-87 lead with

2:38 to play. Any momentum, however, was quickly halted when Singletary was whistled for his fifth foul trying to strip the ball from Caner-Medley with 2:20 left. The Cavaliers’ other spark - Forbes - had already fouled earlier in the second overtime.

“It was difficult to know that you weren’t able to be out there to help your team,” Singletary said. “We didn’t have the energy from me and Gary and that might have helped.”

The Terps seized the advantage and Gilchrist’s trey with 1:14 left gave them a 91-89 lead.

Then came what has to be most forgettable minute of action in Brown’s basketball life.

After a UVa timeout with 1:05 left, Reynolds inbounded the ball to Brown, who failed to grab it and it was subsequently stolen by Maryland.

“That was a big turnover. We worked on that. We didn’t screen the player we were supposed to. Elton was supposed to screen but he didn’t screen and then Elton dropped it,” Gillen said. “J.R. had no real place to throw it and Elton drops it.”

It would only get worse for Brown.

With 19 seconds remaining, Brown was fouled and sent to probably the last place he wanted to be: the free-throw line.

He missed the first one and then airballed the second one.

“He doesn’t shoot them that well in practice. He’s a good player but it’s a mental thing with the free throws,” Gillen said. “He was the big culprit today.”

On the ensuing possession, Ekene Ibekwe made one of two from the stripe for the 92-89 lead. Virginia had 13 seconds left to try and force yet another overtime but its last chance was doomed from the start and result in Brown hoisting a desperation trey at the buzzer.

“We could have won this game if we took advantage of our opportunities. We really have nothing to show for what we did tonight because we didn’t win,” Singletary said.

UVa's solid play erased by line woes
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
February 20, 2005

The simplest shot in basketball is the free throw. It is essentially a controlled shot, no one contesting it. The ball is only half the size of the basket. The only variables are the crowd’s noise and your own ability to focus.

In Virginia’s 92-89 double-overtime home loss to Maryland on Saturday, the game’s most simple shot doomed coach Pete Gillen’s team. The hoops might as well have been moving targets, surrounded by flames.

It was almost like the late Rodney Dangerfield and his Caddy Shack pals were standing behind Cavalier shooters at the line, shouting “Noonan,” and “Miss it,” just as the Wahoos released the shots.

Striving to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament at season’s end, the Cavaliers played their hearts out against the Terps, cheating the reaper at the end of regulation and at the end of the first overtime. Gillen’s team left everything on the court only to lose because of some lousy free-throw shooting.

For all the good things Virginia did on this day, they were all erased by missing the simplest shot in the game.

The numbers

The Cavaliers hit only 12 of 27 foul shots. No, that’s not a typo. Virginia was stymied by senior Elton Brown’s not-so-gentle clanking, as he hit only

3 of 13 from the charity stripe. That’s not a typo either.

If Brown just hits 50 percent, Virginia wins, goes home happy and boosts its hopes of an NCAA bid.

Last season, the NCAA’s

326 Division I teams made an average of 68.8 percent of all their free-throw attempts.

While 68.8 may be a comfortable thermostat setting, its leaves fans frustrated and coaches sweating puddles while wondering why skilled athletes can’t master the shot. Virginia’s 44.4 percent from the line on Saturday was even more puzzling.

The Cavaliers came into the game ranked seventh in the ACC (league games only) in free-throw percentage with a 70.3 average. Anything close to that would have been enough to put away the Terps.

Even Brown, who had connected on 60 percent of his foul shots in conference games and 59.8 percent in all games this season, was way off target.

“As hard as we played, as courageous as we played, you have to make free throws to win,” Gillen said. “You’ve got to rebound, make free throws and take care of the ball. If [12 of 27] is how poorly you shoot, all the good things are unfortunately hurt by that stat.”

Stripe downs Brown

For all the good things Brown did in the game, he scored 13 points and pulled down a dozen rebounds, his free-throw shooting and a couple of mishandles and mental mistakes cost Virginia the game.

Gillen kept pulling his center out of the game and replacing him with Jason Cain because of Brown’s ineptness at the free-throw line. Certainly, Maryland was well aware of the situation as Gary Williams so noted afterward.

It’s almost like the Hack-a-Shaq theory. Why take a chance on giving up a basket inside when you can foul and make a bad free-throw shooter go to the free-throw line. Most coaches will take those odds and be happy.

“Yeah ... you look at the stats,” Williams said in acknowledging Brown’s shortcomings at the foul line. “I can’t give away secrets.”

The Terps were content to foul Brown because Williams has a lot of respect for the Virginia wide-body as an inside threat.

“He’s so tough to stop. I put him right there with the two Williams’ in terms of his ability,” Williams said. He was referring to Duke center Shelden Williams and Wake center Eric Williams.

Still, in spite of everything that went both right and wrong, the Cavaliers still had a chance to win with 1:12 remaining in the second overtime. Down 91-89, UVa’s J.R. Reynolds tried to inbound the ball near midcourt, but the pass went through Brown’s hands.

Official stats gave the turnover to Reynolds, but Gillen said that Brown was supposed to screen Maryland’s Chris McCray, but failed to do so, leaving Reynolds with no other option than to force a bad pass to Brown.

Still, Maryland did not score and UVa had yet another chance with 18 seconds to go when Travis Garrison hacked Brown and fouled out in the process. Brown missed both free throws. Maryland made one foul shot on the other end for the 92-89 lead with 13 seconds left, setting up UVa’s final gasp.

The Cavs had pulled it out, first in regulation, coming from six down only to send it into overtime courtesy of a Gary Forbes’ 3-pointer with four seconds to go. Then again, down seven in the first overtime, the Wahoos pulled off another Reaper Cheater when freshman point guard Sean Singletary capped the comeback as he nailed a 3-pointer with 21 seconds showing.

However in the final overtime, Virginia ran out of lives just like in the video games. Forbes and Singletary fouled out, the latter on a controversial call when it appeared Nik Caner-Medley ran over a stationary Singletary in the free-throw lane.

This time, the Cavs came down the floor in what looked like organized chaos.

“[Gillen] called a play and we didn’t really run the right play,” senior forward Devin Smith said. “We didn’t have a chance to get the play set up because [Maryland] didn’t defend T.J. [Bannister] when he was bringing the ball up the floor, so we couldn’t run the play we wanted. It was a free for all.”

Desperately, the ball ended up in Brown’s hands near the 3-point arch and as the final seconds ticked off, his only option was to gun it and pray. The shot was short, the game was over and Virginia had lost a close game (five points or less) for only the second time in 10 contests this season.

Afterward, Brown sat quietly in the locker room, according to teammates. He obviously felt the pain of the loss, which dropped the Cavaliers to 13-11 overall and 4-9 in the ACC with three regular season games remaining.

While Gillen was critical of Brown’s play, the coach was still concerned about the senior’s state of mind.

“He’s a senior and a very good player,” Gillen said. “But he’s got to make some free throws because we get him the ball inside and he’s fouled. If he misses two, it’s a turnover. We need him to make those shots.”

Singletary said anyone would be quiet and maybe even angry after such misfortune, but the rookie guard did his best to cheer up his teammate.

“I told him to stay with it and tomorrow we’ll go shoot some free throws,” Singletary said.

Lots of free throws.

Cavaliers hope to get back to winning ways
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
February 20, 2005

Some believe that you should never forgive and never forget. Others, perhaps a little wiser, say always forgive, never forget.

For the Virginia men’s lacrosse team it is more like always remember, never forget.

In 2003, the Cavaliers reached the highest of highs winning the NCAA title. They followed that up with a 2004 campaign in which they finished 5-8; their first losing record in 17 seasons and their first missed NCAA Tournament since 1992.

After a two-year stint in which the peaks and valleys may likely never be experienced in quite the same way again, the Cavaliers begin their 2005 season today against Drexel.

There is an obvious desire to begin this season and forget the immediate past but that would be missing the point to an extent.

“After every season, you want to get back on the field but especially after last year. It was a disappointing season and we finished 5-8,” junior attackman Matt Ward said. “I remember last year when the season was over, I couldn’t wait to play again to get that taste out of my mouth. We want to turn things around and get Virginia back to where it was.”

Ward’s response is an expected one. But Virginia coach Dom Starsia has seen that his players’ motivation comes from more than just a simple desire to play again and forget the past. He has seen something else.

“I definitely sense there is a heightened sense of expectation. What I also feel is that among the older guys is that there is a great sense of protectiveness to make sure that some of things that affected last year don’t come to pass,” Starsia said. “Some things that perhaps were taken for granted, they have been more diligent about.”

Starsia’s is not just the hope of a coach that wants to put a disappointing season behind him, it is the sentiment of a coach that has seen as much since the end of last year.

“I hear it in the background. There is a greatest sense of communication. … There is a sense that we want to dot every ‘I’ and cross every ‘T’. I think we all feel that,” Starsia said. “The thing coming out of last year and going into this season is how fragile it all is.”

There were numerous areas in which the dissecting sort can point to that hampered the Cavaliers last season. The midfield was a popular choice among many but not Starsia.

Instead, Starisa focuses on his attack which, on paper, should have been Virginia’s strongest unit.

The Cavaliers had John Christmas and Joe Yevoli, two returning All-Americans there, and Ward. It should have been the strength for the team a year ago but instead they were not able to repeat their performances as a group as they did in 2003.

“I’ve always built my teams starting with the attack. It’s clearly a priority in recruiting. I always look at the attack first,” Starsia said. “Not scoring in the midfield stood out more but we couldn’t set the table from the attack like we needed to. The attack is paramount.

… Last year, people said ‘why isn’t Virginia better’ and I think it was because our attack wasn’t up to par.”

This season, the Cavaliers won’t have the services of Yevoli. He will redshirt because of a back ailment. He will be replaced by freshman Ben Rubeor, who has already drawn rave reviews from his coach and teammates.

“Not having Yevoli may not cripple us but greatly reduces our margin for error. We are good but thinner at that position,” Starsia said.

Ward had 33 goals and 13 assists to lead the Cavaliers and Christmas had 11 goals and

10 assists. Christmas’ season was hampered by injuries as the oft-focused on player had the least productive season of his UVa career.

Starsia expects Christmas to have a better season with a better effort this year.

“This has been the best preseason for John at UVa. He is playing with enthusiasm and confidence that we haven’t seen for a little bit,” Starsia said. “He was the center of lacrosse attention for a long time. He had a terrific freshman year and terrific sophomore year. People thought he could walk on water and he might not have been quite prepared to do that. … Now he has a sense of renewed enthusiasm and that’s real. He’s highly motivated for this season.”

Kyle Dixon, Matt Poskay, a healthy Drew Thompson and Jared Little will lead the midfield, which fielded its share of criticism last season.

“Our middies have to finish opportunities that the attack is creating. It’s the ying and yang. That’s what we missed last year. We weren’t able to give them the ball in great spots,” Starsia said. “The midfield seems older and more mature in the midfield. I think Kyle Dixon is poised to have a breakout season. He may be a first-team All-American midfielder.”

The defense will be aided by the addition of Rob Bateman, an All-American at Penn State for two years who opted last spring to spend his fifth and final year of eligibility at Virginia. Bateman did not play for the Nittany Lions last season because of a hamstring injury.

“His addition now clearly has made that a position of strength. He is not a classic Virginia defenseman but he makes plays and is fun to watch,” Starsia said.

Michael Culver, Steve Holmes and Ricky Smith will play on close defense. Former STAB standout James King, Pat Buchanan will also see time there as well.

With the departure of three-time All-American Tillman Johnson in goal, his replacement has been a much-discussed topic. The competition was between Kip Turner and Bud Petit and it is ongoing. For the first time he can remember as a coach, Starsia will rotate the two players. Turner will start today’s game because it’s his turn but Petit will start the second half regardless. Starsia will stay with that system until …

“It is what it is. It’s funny. It’s like the center of attention. It’s a very unusual situation. I assumed that one would emerge a little bit,” Starsia said. “Both of them are very good. It’s common to think that if you have two goalies then you don’t have one but I think we have two starters.”

All in all, the key to Virginia’s season will be remembering last season while equally forgetting it.

“There are things to learn. Losing isn’t something you enjoy. It’s something you want to eradicate,” Ward said. “We didn’t have team focused goals. There were individual goals. This year, it seems like we are all together and working as a team and we know we can only be good as our weakest link.”

Ward knows of what he talks considering in his two years here he has experienced the absolute gamut.

“I’ve experienced the highs and lows in my two years here. We got the winning and the losing but we always want to win. We’ve experienced both,” Ward said. “We’re trying to get Virginia back with a winning record and get back into the playoffs.”

Virginia unable to accept charity
Elton Brown and the Cavs struggle at the free-throw line, falling to Maryland in two OTs.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

CHARLOTTESVILLE - After booing Elton Brown at various times Saturday afternoon at University Hall, the Virginia fans chose to embrace their tragic hero with 18.9 seconds remaining in double overtime.

What started out as a murmur grew into a crescendo as the fans chanted "Elton, Elton." Love wasn't the answer.

With a chance to tie the score and possibly forced a third overtime, Brown missed two free throws and 22nd-ranked Maryland held on for a 92-89 men's basketball victory.

Brown converted only three of 13 free throws in the game and the Cavaliers were 12-of-27 as a team

"As hard as we played, as courageously as we played, you've got to make free throws," UVa coach Pete Gillen said.

The Cavaliers (13-11, 4-9 ACC) forced overtime by rallying from a six-point deficit in the final 2 1/2 minutes of regulation and then came back from a seven-point deficit in the first overtime.

UVa sophomore Gary Forbes hit a 3-pointer with four seconds remaining in regulation and Cavaliers' freshman Sean Singletary hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 20.5 seconds left in the first overtime, but both players fouled out in the second overtime.

Forbes, who had scored 17 points off the bench, fouled out with 3:36 left. Singletary, who had 23 points and nine assists, picked up his fifth foul with 2:21 on the clock.

"I thought it would be a charge," said Singletary, who felt he was set when the Terrapins' Nik Caner-Medley cut into the lane. "He lost the ball before he ever got to me. I felt like I got a raw deal. When I heard the whistle, I thought it was either a charge or a jump ball."

At that moment, Singletary had scored 12 points in a 5:56 span and was beginning to take over the game in a scintillating match-up with Maryland junior point guard and 2004 ACC Tournament MVP John Gilchrist.

Singletary had twisted his ankle while fouling Gilchrist in the final minute of regulation but returned to the court for the start of overtime.

Problem was, there already were five UVa players on the court. An unhappy Singletary reluctantly left the floor and did not return until Maryland had gone ahead 76-69.

"He was on the bench because of his ankle," Gillen said.

UVa led only once in the two overtime periods, thanks to a Brown bank shot that made it 89-88 with 2:37 left in the second overtime, but the Cavaliers failed to score on their last four possessions. Brown was involved in all four.

He missed a fadeaway with 1:49 left, was involved in a botched in-bounds play that resulted in a turnover with 1:05 left, missed the two free throws with 18.9 seconds left and wasn't close on a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer.

The turnover proved particularly costly because Gillen had used his last timeout to set up a play with the Cavs trailing 91-89. Although J.R. Reynolds was assessed a turnover on the ensuing inbounds play, it was Brown who fumbled the pass into the hands of a Terrapin defender.

"Elton was supposed to screen on that play," Gillen said. "He didn't screen. Then, they threw it to Elton and he dropped the ball. J.R. had no place to throw it and [Brown] dropped it."

UVa forced a turnover as Maryland tried to kill clock and, once more, the Cavaliers fed the ball to Brown. Terps' coach Gary Williams thought Brown had such good position that he was just happy that Brown didn't make his layup attempt, which would have created a three-point play possibility.

Williams had seen the statistics that showed Brown shooting 59.8 percent from the line for the season, including 41.7 percent (10-of-24) over UVa's previous five games. It was almost as if Maryland's strategy was to foul Brown, who did not speak to media.

"I can't give away any secrets," Williams said slyly.

The Terrapins (16-8, 7-6) shot only 39.5 percent from the field but outrebounded the Cavaliers 50-46 and shot 73.5 percent from the line (25-of-34). Singletary, Devin Smith and Reynolds were a combined 6-of-7 from the line and the rest of the Cavaliers were 6-of-20. Brown missed both ends of three two-shot opportunities, including two air-balls.

"He was the big culprit today," Gillen said. "We took him out a lot. We kept him out of the game a lot because he couldn't make a free throw."

Two OTs later, U.Va. in free-fall
They call them free throws. But for Virginia, they couldn't have been more costly in a double-overtime loss to Maryland.
BY DAVE JOHNSON
247-4649
Published February 20, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- A batting average of .444 would ensure your spot in Cooperstown on the first ballot. Even Teddy Ballgame never did that.

From the free-throw line, which more times than not determines a basketball team's fate, it's inexcusable. And as Virginia swallows the bitter reality of spending another postseason in the NIT - which itself isn't a given at this point - it won't have to wonder why.

Maryland's 92-89 win in double-overtime Saturday afternoon in University Hall included drama, grit and big-time performances on both sides. But it came down to one thing: The Cavaliers were 12-of-27 from the free throw line.

Or to put it another way, Virginia missed 15 free throws in a three-point loss. Had the Cavaliers (13-11, 4-9) merely shot 50 percent in regulation, there would have been no need for overtime.

"It's the fundamentals of basketball," point guard Sean Singletary said. "Free throws are free shots. You've got to convert those."

Had they, Terrapin forward Travis Garrison wouldn't have been around to score 11 of his 20 points after regulation. John Gilchrist would have been lugging his bag to the team bus instead of sticking a 3-pointer with 1:12 remaining in the second OT that put Maryland ahead for good.

"To go 12-of-27 ... all the good we did was hurt by that stat," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said.

Senior co-captain Elton Brown missed 10 of his 13 attempts, including two with 18.9 seconds left in the second overtime and the Terps leading 91-89. After air-balling his second attempt, Brown was booed by the home crowd in what was his next-to-last home game.

It won't be a day Brown will care to remember. Aside from his awful shooting from the line, he was 2-of-8 from the field after halftime. He failed to set a screen on a critical inbound situation in the second OT and then flubbed the pass from J.R. Reynolds (the official scorekeeper credited the turnover to Reynolds).

Brown, who has seen his playing time cut over the last month, did not show up in the interview room following the game.

Virginia played hard enough to win, and Singletary certainly played well enough to lead his team to victory. In one of the most complete games of his freshman season, Singletary had 23 points, nine assists and one turnover in 45 minutes. His only turnover was an offensive foul on the Cavaliers' fifth possession.

After turning his ankle near the end of regulation, Singletary was unable to start the overtime. When he checked in 93 seconds into it, U.Va. already trailed by seven.

Yet Singletary led the comeback and hit a 3-pointer with 20.5 seconds remaining to tie it at 82-all. Of the Cavaliers' 20 points in the overtimes, he scored 12 of them.

"He was unbelievable," Gillen said. "He was spectacular."

Swingman Gary Forbes was both of those for the third straight game with 17 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots. After the Cavs had rallied from a 67-61 deficit in the final 2:37 of regulation, Forbes sent the game to overtime with a 3-pointer from the left wing with :04 showing.

Yet each fouled out - Forbes with 3:36 remaining in the second OT; Singletary at 2:21. Virginia did not score after Singletary left.

"That was a blow, losing both of them," forward Devin Smith said.

The outcome was significant for both sides. For Maryland (16-8, 7-6), which has an RPI in the high-20s, it all but clinched a bid to the NCAA tournament for the 12th consecutive year.

For the Cavs, it all but ended their NCAA hopes, if not Gillen's coaching tenure in this town. Barring a four-day run through the ACC tournament, where Virginia has won once in the past 10 years, both will be done.

Do the Cavaliers have anything left?
Published February 20 2005
David Teel

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Virginia's Cavaliers have every reason to quit, every reason to bail on a season gone hopelessly bad. They will not make the NCAA tournament, and their coach is unlikely to return.

Three regular-season games and the ACC tournament remain, and you have to wonder: Do they have anything left to give?

The Cavaliers and their coaches invested completely Saturday, pushing through exhaustion and pain and frustration. But all their admirable effort produced, in a linchpin game mind you, was an excruciating 92-89 double-overtime loss to 22nd-ranked Maryland at University Hall.

The defeat sentences Virginia (13-11, 4-9 ACC) to a fourth consecutive sub-.500 conference season, and barring a victory at Wake Forest next Sunday or an ACC tournament championship, the Cavs will miss the NCAA tournament for the seventh time in the last eight years.

"They're bleeding now," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said of his players.

Question is, can Gillen or anyone find a tourniquet?

It won't be easy after Saturday. The Cavaliers overcame a six-point deficit late in regulation and a seven-point hole in the first overtime. They lost two critical players to fouls, missed a maddening number of free throws (gruesome details later) and still had a chance to win at the end of the second overtime.

"We really have nothing to show for what we did tonight," freshman guard Sean Singletary said. "(But) as a team, this will make us stronger. We can learn from this."

Singletary was the best player on the floor. With convincing head fakes and yo-yo dribbles, he was impossible to defend, witness his 23 points, nine assists and one measly turnover.

"He can change directions with anybody," Maryland coach Gary Williams said. "I thought he had cramps in the second overtime, and then he's going 90 miles an hour. That was a great fake."

Singletary wasn't faking, though his ailment wasn't cramps. He sprained his ankle during a collision with Maryland's John Gilchrist in the final minute of regulation but soldiered on until fouling out midway through the second overtime.

Devin Smith (22 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots) and Gary Forbes (17 points, eight boards and four blocks before fouling out) matched Singletary's effort, a trend Williams mentioned the minute he arrived in the interview room.

"First of all, that's why Pete Gillen is a good coach," Williams said. "That's how they play. They never give up. We could have won in regulation; we could have won in the first overtime very easily, but that's what he puts into his players."

Understand that coaches, for all their in-fighting and back-stabbing, are a tight bunch. And defending a colleague is a sure sign the colleague has job-security issues.

But Williams' remarks were not gratuitous. Since a dismal, 19-point loss at Providence on Feb. 2, Gillen and his players have pushed the envelope, overhauling strategy and expending maximum energy.

It just isn't good enough.

It wasn't good enough Saturday because the Cavaliers missed 15 of 27 free throws. The primary culprit was senior center Elton Brown, who missed 10 of 13.

Disparaging Brown has become a cottage industry, and indeed, his attitude, work ethic and shot selection often are lacking. But Brown's shortcomings at the line weren't from lack of effort. He's flailed there throughout the season, and Saturday those struggles crashed upon him, never more so than with 18.9 seconds remaining in the second overtime and Virginia down by two.

Brown's first shot ricocheted off the back of the rim. His second shot was an airball.

It was painful to watch.

Brown declined interview requests, but his teammates and opponents said all the right things.

"We have a lot left," said guard T.J. Bannister, ever defiant, "as long as we keep our faith."

"Virginia came back so many times you didn't think they could do it," Williams said.

But how much more faith and how many more comebacks can the Cavaliers muster?

Probably not enough.

FT misses by Brown cost Cavs
Senior off the mark on 10 of 13; Virginia falls in double overtime
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Feb 20, 2005
MARYLAND 92 VIRGINIA 89
INSIDE: North Carolina thumps Clemson 88-56, Page C6

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Had Elton Brown made 7 of 13 from the free throw line yesterday, or 6 of 13 -- shoot, even 5 of 13 -- Virginia's basketball team might well have collected a desperately needed ACC victory over Maryland at University Hall.

But Brown's incompetence at the line undermined a magnificent display of resiliency by the Cavaliers, who by losing effectively dropped out of the NCAA tournament picture.

The senior center from Newport News missed 10 of 13 free throws, including a pair that would have tied the game with 18.9 seconds left in the second overtime. Maryland capitalized and won 92-89 in double OT before a crowd of 8,218.

The other Cavaliers were 9 of 14 from the line. That's not great, but Brown was "the big culprit," as U.Va. coach Pete Gilled noted. Brown pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds and, despite shooting 5 of 13 from the floor, scored 13 points. He had three turnovers, however, and continued his recent struggles at the line. In his past four games, Brown has made only 7 of 25 foul shots.

"He's a senior, and he's a very good player," Gillen said, "but he's got to make some free throws."

In defeat, freshman point guard Sean Singletary, sophomore swingman Gary Forbes and senior forward Devin Smith played brilliantly for U.Va. (4-9, 13-11).

Virginia trailed 67-61 with 2:10 left in regulation but rallied to force overtime on a 3-pointer by Forbes with 4 seconds remaining. The Terrapins (7-6, 16-8) scored the first seven points of the first overtime and led 78-71 at the 2:25 mark, only to see the Cavaliers storm back and force another overtime.

Singletary led the charge. In the final 2:18, he scored on a drive and sank two 3-pointers, including a trey that made it 62-62 with 20.5 seconds left. Singletary then harassed point guard John Gilchrist into a turnover on Maryland's final possession.

"Both teams had a great deal of heart out there," Terrapins coach Gary Williams said. "Virginia came back so many times, you didn't think they could do it, but they almost did it again in the double overtime."

In the second OT, however, Forbes (17 points, eight rebounds, four blocked shots) fouled out at the 3:36 mark, and Singletary picked up his fifth personal 75 seconds later. With Singletary gone, the Terps scored the game's final five points.

"It's very difficult knowing that you're not out there to help your team in a crisis like we had today," he said.

Singletary finished with 23 points, nine assists, two rebounds, one steal and only one turnover. He's been an inconsistent shooter this season, but he made 3 of 5 from beyond the arc yesterday.

"If he makes shots, he's really difficult, because you have to get up on him. He can change directions with anybody, and that's what makes him so tough," Williams said. "The other thing is, he competes. You can't put him away."

Even without Singletary, who played the extra periods with a sprained ankle, Virginia had a chance in the second OT. After Gilchrist's 3-pointer put Maryland ahead 91-89, Gillen called his final timeout with 1:05 left. But Brown blew his assignment on the ensuing inbounds pass and dropped sophomore guard J.R. Reynolds' pass, and the Terps pounced on the loose ball.

Maryland promptly turned the ball over at the other end, giving Virginia new life, and Brown was fouled in the act of shooting with 18.9 seconds left. His first free throw bounced off the back of the rim. His second was an air ball.

After Ekene Ibekwe made 1 of 2 free throws with 13.4 seconds left to push Maryland's lead to 92-89, U.Va. self-destructed one last time. On the Cavs' final possession, the ball went not to 3-point specialists Smith or Reynolds, but to Brown. His long-range attempt from the left wing was well short.

Gilchrist, a junior from Virginia Beach, paced the Terrapins with 22 points. Teammate Travis Garrison, a junior forward, scored 11 of his 20 in the overtimes.

Another hero for Maryland was junior guard Chris McCray. Virginia led 52-47 when Terps guard Sterling Ledbetter went to the line with 11:01 left in regulation. Ledbetter missed both free throws, but on the second, the 6-5 McCray outbattled the 6-9 Brown for the rebound, despite the fact that Brown was grabbing McCray's jersey. McCray dribbled back and drilled a 3-pointer that started a 15-2 run for the Terps.

U.Va. back on attack
After missing 2004 NCAA tourney, Cavs' lacrosse wants back in
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Feb 20, 2005
MEN'S LACROSSE
DREXEL AT U.VA.
TODAY:
1 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE - How the mighty fell in 2004. The University of Virginia men's lacrosse team, which won the NCAA title in'03, failed to make the tournament last season. The Cavaliers finished 5-8, ending a string of 11 trips to the NCAAs under coach Dom Starsia.

"I never would have believed it, but it happened," said senior attackman John Christmas, a second-team All-American in 2003.

Under Starsia, Virginia has reached the final four seven times and won two NCAA championships. The Cavs haven't lacked motivation as they've prepared for a season that begins today against Drexel at the University Hall Turf Field.

"Nobody wants to have another year like we had last year," junior midfielder Kyle Dixon said.

Starsia's 12th season at Virginia will be his first in some time without Tillman Johnson. The only goalie to be named all-ACC three times, Johnson started every U.Va. game the past four seasons.

Even so, Starsia said, the coaching staff believes that "at the end of the day our play in the goal is going to be a strength."

The battle to replace Johnson has been a virtual draw between sophomore Kip Turner and redshirt freshman Bud Petit, a Collegiate School graduate. Turner will play the first half and Petit the second against Drexel. Their roles likely are to be reversed in U.Va.'s second game.

"They're fine with it, and I think the team is fine with it," Starsia said of the arrangement. "Nobody saw a different resolution to it."

Johnson wasn't the only significant loss from last year's team. Starsia also must replace defenseman Brett Hughes, a second-team All-American in 2004, and attackman Joe Yevoli, a three-year starter who's redshirting because of a back injury. Yevoli has 130 career points and was a second-team All-American in'03.

Numerous veterans, however, are back, among them attackmen Christmas and junior Matt Ward, the team's leading scorer in'04; sophomore Drew Thompson and juniors Dixon, Matt Poskay and Jared Little in the midfield; and sophomore Ricky Smith and juniors Steve Holmes and Michael Culver on defense. Also, U.Va. may have the nation's premier longstick midfielder in senior Rob Bateman, a transfer from Penn State, where he was a second-team All-American in 2003.

Joining Christmas and Ward on the first attack is touted freshman Ben Rubeor.

"If we stay healthy, our attack is going to be good," Starsia said. "Very good."

Contact Jeff White at (804) 649-6838 or jwhite@timesdispatch.com
CAVALIERS' 2005 SCHEDULE

Feb. - 20, Drexel, 1 p.m.; 26, Manhattan, 1 p.m.; 28, Denver, 3 p.m.

March - 5, at Syracuse, 3 p.m.; 12, Princeton, 7 p.m.; 15, Mount St. Mary's, 7 p.m.; 19, Towson, 1 p.m.; 26, at Johns Hopkins, 1 p.m.

April - 2, Maryland, 3 p.m.; 9, North Carolina, 1 p.m.; 16, at Duke, 3 p.m.; 29, ACC tournament semifinal at Baltimore, TBA.

May - 1, ACC tournament final at Baltimore, 3:30 p.m.

Terps take 'big win' in 2 OTs
Maryland outlasts Virginia on road, 92-89, gets boost in drive for NCAA berth
By Jeff Zrebiec
Sun Staff
Originally published February 20, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - When Elton Brown's desperation attempt at a game-tying three-pointer fell substantially short and the final buzzer sounded, Maryland coach Gary Williams looked up toward the scoreboard and nodded his head.

The gesture didn't speak to the magnitude of the 22nd-ranked Terrapins' 92-89, double-overtime victory over Virginia yesterday in a key Atlantic Coast Conference game at University Hall.

After the Cavaliers tied the game late in regulation and in the first overtime on long three-pointers, Terps junior John Gilchrist hit a huge three with 1:14 to play to give Maryland a 91-89 lead, and Virginia finally ran out of late-game heroics.

"When you're in these types of games, you just fight until the last buzzer sounds," said Gilchrist, who finished with 22 points, nine rebounds and six assists. "When you're competing, you don't want to lose. That's the worst feeling of all. We knew we had to leave it on the court until the last buzzer."

Now, the Terps (16-8, 7-6), who were coming off an embarrassing 19-point loss to North Carolina State on Wednesday - after which Williams questioned his team's effort and preparation - are again in good shape to make their 12th straight trip to the NCAA tournament.

Maryland plays last-place Clemson at home Tuesday, likely knowing a 1-2 finish in its last three regular-season games probably would be enough for an NCAA bid. Since 1992, 57 of 60 ACC teams that finished regular-season play with a league mark of 8-8 or better have been invited to the NCAAs.

The victory also was just the Terps' second all season on an opponent's home court.

"To say that we're not aware of what we need to do to get in the tournament, that would be ridiculous," said junior forward Nik Caner-Medley, who had 19 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. "We are aware of what we have to do. This was an extremely big win for us."

It certainly didn't come easy. It never seems to with these Terps, whose eight-point lead in the last 6 1/2 minutes of regulation disappeared altogether when Virginia's Gary Forbes hit a long three-pointer with four seconds left to force overtime.

Maryland had a seven-point lead with 1:57 left in the first overtime, but Virginia point guard Sean Singletary, who had a game-high 23 points but fouled out midway through the second overtime, tied the game on a three-pointer with 20 seconds left in the first overtime.

"We stayed tough," Williams said. "They hit a couple of great threes. ... It hurt, but we never quit. We just kept running our offense. We ran our best offense the last five minutes of regulation and both overtimes."

Maryland also had some help. The Cavaliers missed 15 of 27 free throws, including three of four in the second overtime.

Virginia senior center Brown (13 points, 12 rebounds), normally a 60 percent foul shooter, hit just three of 13. He had a chance to tie the game at 91 with 19 seconds left in the second overtime after Gilchrist's three-pointer had given the Terps a 91-89 lead, but he missed both.

Terps sophomore Ekene Ibekwe then hit one of two free throws on the other end with 13 seconds left. Without Singletary and Forbes (also fouled out) on the court, Virginia seemed confused while setting up for a game-tying try, and Brown, who hasn't hit a three-pointer all season, shot an air ball.

"As hard as we played, as courageous as we played, you've got to make free throws to win," said Cavaliers coach Pete Gillen, whose team fell to 13-11 overall and 4-9 in the ACC. "All the good things unfortunately are hurt by that [poor free-throw shooting]."

The Terps seemed to take control of the game in regulation with a 15-2 run that turned a five-point deficit into a 62-54 lead with 6:29 remaining. Maryland's advantage was still six with 2:39 to play, but Virginia strung together a regulation-ending 8-2 run, capped by Forbes' game-tying three with four seconds left.

Junior forward Travis Garrison, who had been relatively quiet, took over in the first overtime, scoring nine of his 20 points, including a three-pointer as the shot clock expired to give Maryland a 74-69 edge.

"I felt I was in a rhythm and the person who was guarding me, I could take him every time," said Garrison, who also had eight rebounds. "I just tried to carry us."

Garrison's last basket of the first overtime - with 33 seconds left - gave the Terps a three-point lead, but Singletary faked out Gilchrist at the top of the key and made a three. The Terps had 20 seconds to attempt a game-winner, but Gilchrist appeared to wait too long to start the offense and then lost the ball, forcing a second overtime.

Williams yelled at his point guard - "He kind of locked up there," he said later - and sat him down for the start of the second overtime. But Gilchrist was all smiles later after he came in and hit the huge three, which came after Caner-Medley grabbed a rebound in traffic and passed to Chris McCray, who then found an open Gilchrist.

"I knew I let my team down by not allowing us to get a shot off at the end of the OT," Gilchrist said. "I kind of felt bad about it. Just to be able to hit a big shot, that was a textbook ending."

Now comes the tough part for the Terps: trying to find some consistency.

"I thought we had some springboard wins this year, but it's been a fight," said Williams, who went with a three-guard lineup yesterday, starting Mike Jones in place of Will Bowers. It was Maryland's eighth different starting lineup this season. "We have to sustain this. Now, you don't get second chances."

Virginia falters in double OT
By Andy Bitter / Lynchburg News & Advance
February 20, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE - The Virginia men’s basketball team staved off defeat in regulation and the first overtime against Maryland on Saturday before finally succumbing in the second OT when Elton Brown’s contested 3-pointer at the buzzer fell woefully short.

Truth is, the Cavaliers lost the game well before that, missing shots without so much as a defender in their face.

Maryland held on for a thrilling 92-89 double overtime win over Virginia at University Hall. The Cavaliers (13-11, 4-9 ACC) made just 12 of their 27 free throws (44 percent) in the loss, their worst effort of the season.

“For as hard as we played, for as courageous as we played, you’ve got to make free throws to win,” Virginia coach Pete Gillen said. “If that’s how poorly you shoot, then all of the good things unfortunately are hurt by that stat.”

Brown, who had 13 points and 12 rebounds coming off the bench, struggled in the final minutes of the game even before his ill-fated 3-point attempt.

With Maryland leading 91-89 with 1:05 to go in the second overtime, UVa turned the ball over on an inbounds play after Brown first failed to set a screen to get a guard open and then let the pass slip through his hands.

The Cavaliers were bailed out by a Maryland turnover, but, after getting fouled on a post move with 18.9 seconds left, Brown’s free throw struggles came into play. He was too strong with the first and then airballed the second.

“He was a big culprit today (at the line),” Gillen said of Brown, who was 3-for-13 on free throws.

The Terrapins (16-8, 7-6) got fouled at the other end and Ekene Ibekwe made 1 of 2 from the line, giving UVa a chance. However, the Cavaliers’ ensuing possession was a catastrophe. T.J. Bannister picked up his dribble beyond the 3-point line and couldn’t get the ball to either of UVa’s remaining shooters, J.R. Reynolds or Devin Smith.

Brown was the last option. His shot didn’t even draw iron.

“We came back every time and we had the game right there to win,” said UVa freshman point guard Sean Singletary, who finished with a game-high 23 points and nine assists before fouling out.

“We just didn’t nail down our free throws and didn’t get to some loose balls like we should have, just little things like that in the grand scheme of things are real big.”

John Gilchrist led Maryland with 22 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Nik Caner-Medley added 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Terps, who have won four straight in the series and 12 of the last 16.

The Cavaliers rallied in both regulation and the first overtime to extend the game. Maryland used a 17-4 run in the second half to take its biggest lead at 62-54, but UVa battled back. Trailing 69-66, Gary Forbes swished a 3-pointer with four seconds left to send the game into overtime. Forbes, who scored 44 points in UVa’s previous two games, finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and four blocks coming off the bench.

In the first overtime, Maryland jumped out to a seven-point lead at 76-69 thanks to forward Travis Garrison, who scored nine of his 20 points in the session.

UVa rallied again, this time behind Singletary, who twisted his right ankle late in regulation and sat on the bench to start the overtime. Singletary hit two 3s and scored eight points after coming in. His 3 with 20.5 seconds left knotted the game at 82. Singletary then forced a turnover at the other end to send the game into a second overtime.

“He was unbelievable,” Gillen said. “Playing with a gimpy ankle, hitting 3s and as you know to shot 3s you really have to use your legs. He was spectacular.”

Maryland scored the first four points of the second overtime, but Virginia stormed back with a 7-0 run. Brown’s bank shot with 2:36 put UVa ahead 89-87, its first lead since the 8:35 mark in regulation.

“We could have won in regulation, we could have won in overtime very easily,” Maryland head coach Gary Williams said. “That’s what (Gillen) puts into his players. They’re not going away. I wasn’t surprised at all that they came back in both of those situations.

“But our guys don’t quit either.”

That was confirmed in the last few minutes. After Forbes fouled out with 3:36 left and Singletary followed suit with 2:21 to go, the Terrapins scored the next four points, getting a free throw from Caner-Medley and the game-winner, a 3-pointer from Gilchrist after an offensive rebound, to go ahead 91-89.

Cavaliers' Failure At Free Throw Line Dims NCAA Hopes
By Michael Arkush
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, February 20, 2005; Page E14

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Feb. 19 -- Elton Brown was on the line, and so, in all likelihood, was the game.

With Virginia trailing by two with 19 seconds left in the second overtime, Brown had two free throws and the chance to tie the score. The first free throw missed. So did the second, touching only the net.

Virginia's Gary Forbes hits a three-pointer over Nik Caner-Medley to force the first overtime. "Free throws win games," Forbes said. (John Mcdonnell -- The Washington Post)

For Brown, the sequence summed up a miserable day at the foul line, where he made 3 of 13 attempts. For the Cavaliers (13-11, 4-9 ACC), it summed up a lost, and likely last, opportunity to find a way into the NCAA tournament. The Cavaliers would have to capture their last three regular season games, and probably at least two more in the ACC tournament, to have any hope of receiving an at-large selection. More likely, they will miss out for the fourth year in a row.

"As hard as we played, as courageous as we played," Virginia Coach Pete Gillen said, "you've got to make free throws to win."

The Cavaliers rallied in regulation and the first overtime with dramatic three-point shots, by Gary Forbes and freshman Sean Singletary. Playing with an ankle he twisted late in regulation, Singletary finished with 23 points and a career-high nine assists with only one turnover. Devin Smith also finished with 22 points.

But Virginia simply could not overcome its missed free throws. In all, the Cavaliers were 12 of 27 -- 44.4 percent. By contrast, they shot 44 percent from the field, and 44 percent from behind the arc.

"Free throws win games," said Forbes, who scored 17 points and pulled down eight rebounds, his third straight impressive outing.

Forbes, however, fouled out with 3 minutes 36 seconds left in the second overtime. Singletary committed his fifth a little more than a minute later, fouling Nik Caner-Medley in the lane. Singletary was replaced by T.J. Bannister. The Cavaliers were still on top, 89-88, but without two of their top performers, the Terrapins proved too much.

"I'm proud of our kids," Gillen said. "They're bleeding now because they really wanted to win, but only one team can win."

With just more than a minute left in the second overtime, the Cavaliers still had a chance, trailing by only two. But, after Virginia's last timeout, J.R. Reynolds threw the ball to Brown, who couldn't control it.

"We didn't get the ball inbounds," Gillen said. "That was a big turnover."

After Brown's last two misses, the Cavaliers had a final chance to hit another three-pointer and force a third overtime. But they couldn't get a good look, and Brown's shot was tipped away.

Brown, who finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds, was not available to comment after the game. The Cavaliers next play a week from Sunday, at Wake Forest.

"We can't get down," Singletary said. "Hopefully, we can turn this around and get three in a row."