Seminoles too tough for Cavs
UVa never gets started in road loss
By Whitelaw Reid / Daily Progress staff writer
February 19, 2006

TALLAHASSE, Fla. - All you had to do was take a look at freshman Lauris Mikalauskas' face to know how Virginia's sojourn to the Sunshine State turned out on Saturday.
After the game, the 6-foot-8 Lithuanian looked like Drago at the end of "Rocky IV."

Mikalauskas got smacked with an elbow by Florida State's Alexander Johnson in the first half, suffering a broken nose and mild concussion. He didn't return.

It was one of many aggressive, physical plays by Florida State that Virginia had no answer for.

The Seminoles (16-7, 6-6 ACC), behind 21 points from Andrew Wilson and 15 points and 13 rebounds from Johnson, cruised to an easy 76-62 win in front of 8,567 fans at the Donald L. Tucker Center.

"We didn't feel like they could match our intensity," said Wilson, who was 7 of 11 from 3-point range.

Virginia (13-10, 6-6) didn't come close.

In many of their losses this season, Cavalier players have used the "we-didn't-match-their-intensity-level" party line. But on Saturday, it never seemed more true.

Florida State played like the more desperate team from the get-go.

"They set the tone very early," said Virginia coach Dave Leitao, who was perturbed with officials after another Johnson elbow in the second half. "It was 6-2 and we were already back on our heels and never really recovered from there."

Virginia, which hosts Boston College on Tuesday, has won just one ACC road game this season - against Virginia Tech.

Johnson was the guy who ignited the Seminoles.

First, he made a poster out of Tunji Soroye with a filthy dunk. A few moments later, he swatted Mikalauskas' shot. That led to a transition bucket by Jason Rich.

Meanwhile, Virginia was on a turnover rampage. The Cavaliers had three in the first three minutes and 11 at the half.

After a Jason Cain turnover - one of five Cain committed in the first half - Uche Echefu scored on a put-back to give the Seminoles their largest lead of the half at 18-5.

Virginia, which went over five minutes without a bucket, couldn't defend the 3-point line. The Cavaliers' 2-3 zone looked as porous as Longwood's did on Wednesday.

Wilson, who was 7 of 11 from behind the arc on the night, seemed to launch treys at will.

"He was the end result of their ball movement," Leitao said. "He's a one-dimensional player who has an excellent one dimension. He was left open a number of times. They executed very well against the zone."

Johnson dunked on Mikalauskas to put Florida State up 24-11 with 9:13 left in the half. Mikalauskas, who left the game with blood dripping from his nose, was also called for a foul on the play.

Virginia was able to crawl back briefly.

The Cavaliers cut the lead to 24-19 after a put-back basket by Cain, but had just two more field goals in the last six minutes of the half and trailed by 11 at the break.

Virginia point guard Sean Singletary played one of his poorer games of the season. Singletary, who didn't score in the first half, was neutralized by Florida States' constant ball pressure. The Cavaliers lack of low-post offense didn't help matters.

Singletary was just 4 of 14 from the field and finished with 12 points. J.R. Reynolds led Virginia with 18 points.

"Their whole team had a lot of energy, way more than us," Singletary said. "That's why we lost. We didn't have enough energy when the game started. We lost the game in the first couple minutes because we didn't have the look of hunger or determination on our faces."

In the second half, everyone on Florida State got into the act.

Al Thornton and Todd Galloway had buckets during a 9-2 spurt. Ralph Mims and Jerel Allen propelled the Seminoles to a 62-43 lead.

Virginia's greatest blunder was continually allowing Wilson to spot up from behind the arc.

"We knew from the scouting report that he was a good shooter," Reynolds said, "but we just kept leaving him open."

Leitao shrugged when asked about his team's struggles on the road.

"We're still learning the level of maturity that you play with every single day," he said. "When you don't have everything that you need - a deeper bench - and all your components aren't there, it gets exposed on the road. That's what happened to us."

Johnson said he was trying to get his teammates juiced with his play.

"I think that was the key," he said. "Once we got our intensity going and the fans into, it just got crazy from there."

Johnson said he was not trying to intentionally injure Mikalauskas - or any other Virginia player - with his elbows.

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Johnson, when told he had broken Mikalauskas' nose.

Reynolds said Virginia needs to put the game in its rearview mirror as fast as possible and prepare for Boston College.

"We're right there in the mix of things," he said. "We have to take care of our home court. We have a very good team coming up next, but we can't let this get us down. Everybody has to just stay focused and stay positive."

DUNKS: UVa still leads the all-time series 16-14. ? Mikalauskas said he has broken his nose a couple of other times. ? Wilson's seven 3-pointers tied his career high. ? Soroye played just 11 minutes before fouling out with zero points and zero rebounds.
 

Cavs win opener
From Staff Reports / Charlottesville Daily Progress
February 19, 2006

PHILADELPHIA - Scoring eight consecutive goals in the third quarter, the Virginia men's lacrosse team dominated its season opener Saturday, a 15-7 victory at Drexel.
After UVa led 5-4 at halftime, Drexel got the equalizer before the fourth-ranked Cavaliers fired 20 shots in the third quarter. UVa finished with a 61-24 shot margin.

Senior midfielder Matt Poskay and sophomore attackman Ben Robeor each scored two of their three goals in the third quarter. Senior attackman Matt Ward, who notched the go-ahead goal, totaled five points, including four assists at Vidas Field.

Freshman Danny Glading contributed two goals and two assists during his collegiate debut. Senior midfielder J.J. Morrissey added two assists and a goal before an announced crowd of 1,059.

Garrett Billings, a freshman attackman from British Columbia, scored two goals and one assist in his Virginia debut. Jared Little also scored in the big surge.

Coach Dom Starsia's team won 17 of 25 faceoffs, including a 7-2 margin in the third quarter. Charlie Glazer won 11 of his 15 faceoffs.

Drexel goalkeeper Bruce Bickford made a career-high 22 saves. UVa built a 52-31 advantage for ground balls and scored on five of eight extra-man opportunities. UVa goalkeepers Kip Turner, who played the first 53 minutes, and Bud Petit combined for 12 saves.

The Cavaliers, who play their next four games at home, will host Denver on Monday at 4 p.m. at the University Hall Turf Field. Next Saturday, UVa hosts Stony Brook (N.Y.) at 1 p.m.

In other ACC men's lacrosse action on Saturday, top-ranked Duke debuted with a 20-3 home romp over Butler. No. 15 North Carolina dominated Ohio State 14-5.
 

Road kill again
Loss continues Cavs' trend of struggling away from U-Hall
From Staff Reports Feb 19, 2006

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Much has changed in the University of Virginia men's program since Dave Leitao replaced Pete Gillen as FSU 76 U.VA. 62coach last spring.

At least one thing, however, remains the same: Away from University Hall, U.Va. struggles.

The Cavaliers' visit to the Donald L. Tucker Center yesterday was a disaster. Virginia never led, the game was tied only once (2-2) and Florida State led by 11 at halftime. The Seminoles built their lead to 19 in the second half before coasting to a 76-62 ACC victory.

Virginia has dropped five consecutive games in Tallahassee.

"Especially on the road, you can't play without intensity," Leitao said on U.Va.'s radio network. "The first few minutes of the game dictated the last 35 minutes, because we didn't match their level of intensity."

FSU (6-6, 16-7) swept the teams' regular-season series. Virginia lost in overtime to the Seminoles at U-Hall last month. Yesterday, U.Va. (6-6, 13-10) turned the ball over 16 times, and the 'Noles parlayed those mistakes into 20 points.

U.Va. is 1-5 in ACC road games, with visits to Clemson (4-8, 15-10) and 23rd-ranked North Carolina (7-4, 16-6) remaining. Virginia beat each of those teams in Charlottesville last month.

Of the Cavs' eight scholarship players, only three are post players. One of those big guys, Laurynas Mikalauskas, got hit in the nose midway through the first half, causing blood to gush. The 6-8, 241-pound freshman didn't play thereafter against the bigger, deeper Seminoles.

"We can't afford to lose anybody," Leitao said.

Virginia also can't afford to have Sean Singletary, its best player, suffer through an off game. FSU held the sophomore guard scoreless until the 15:40 mark of the second half, when he made two free throws to pull Virginia to 48-36.

Singletary finished with 12 points but missed 10 of 14 shots from the floor. Junior guard J.R. Reynolds led the Cavaliers with 18 points, but he wasn't much more accurate than Singletary, shooting 5 of 13 from the floor.

Florida State had no such problems. The Seminoles, who shot 51.9 percent overall, were especially hot from beyond the arc, thanks largely to Andrew Wilson's dazzling marksmanship. The senior forward made seven treys, tying his career high, and led all scorers with 21 points.

Overall, FSU was 11 for 20 on 3-point attempts, most coming against a U.Va. zone designed to keep big men Alexander Johnson and Al Thornton from dominating inside. In one stretch that started in the first half and continued into the second, the 'Noles made seven consecutive 3-point attempts.

"They moved the ball well and got open shots," Leitao said. "We were lethargic and didn't get to our spots quick enough. We allowed guys to get open, and they played confidently enough to make them."

Johnson hurt the Cavaliers in the paint, totaling 15 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots. Virginia's starting center, sophomore Tunji Soroye, fouled out with zero points and zero rebounds. U.Va.'s best big man, as usual, was 6-10 junior Jason Cain, who had eight points and 12 rebounds.

Virginia entertains 13th-ranked Boston College (8-4, 21-5) on Tuesday night. The Eagles have won five consecutive since losing to Duke on Feb. 1.

 

Sluggish Cavs no match for FSU
Andrew Wilson's seven 3-pointers make up for UVa's ability to keep Al Thornton in check.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

TALLAHASSEE,Fla. -- To watch Virginia in its two men's basketball games with Florida State, you would swear the Cavaliers don't play any defense.

Andrew Wilson, the first six-year player in ACC men's history, came off the bench to make seven 3-point field goals Saturday as the Seminoles became the first team to beat UVa twice this season, 76-62.

Florida State (16-7 overall, 6-6 ACC) followed up its 60-percent shooting night at Virginia by shooting 51.9 percent Saturday in the Donald L. Tucker Center, including 55 percent (11-of-20) on 3-pointers.

"He's a one-dimensional player that has an excellent one dimension," Virginia coach Dave Leitao said of Wilson, whose 11 field-goal attempts all came from behind the 3-point arc.

"I'll take that as a compliment," said Wilson, twice awarded extra seasons by the NCAA as the result of injuries.

Wilson, who had scored one point in 16 minutes when the teams met in Charlottesville, finished with a team-high 21 points on an afternoon when the Cavaliers (13-10, 6-6) managed to contain FSU's leading scorer, Al Thornton.

Thornton, who has had two 37-point games this season, finished with 10 points. Junior center Alexander Johnson had 15 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots and was instrumental in setting up Wilson.

"When we got in foul trouble, everybody was digging down and trying to help out on Johnson," UVa center Jason Cain said. "That's what makes him one of the best players in the league. People have to double- and triple-team him and it leaves everybody else open."

The Seminoles were coming off their worst loss of the season, an 86-64 setback Wednesday at North Carolina State, and that might have been a reason for their inspired play against the Cavs.

"We felt we could have boosted our resume a lot, and we came out and embarrassed ourselves," Wilson said of the loss to the Wolfpack. "But, we've had a history this year of bouncing back after tough losses."

It was clear that Virginia hadn't gotten a message after its lackluster performance Wednesday night in a 91-56 victory over Division I newcomer Longwood. The Cavaliers can only hope they have a Seminole-like transformation Tuesday, when they entertain No. 13 Boston College.

"We have an issue this year where we're 5-1 at home [in ACC play] and 1-5 on the road," Leitao said. "We've got to play with a ton more energy than we did today."

Leitao said he could sense, when the Cavaliers fell behind 6-2, that they were in trouble. Adrian Joseph subsequently converted a three-point play to make it 6-5; then, the Seminoles scored the next 12 points.

UVa got as close as 24-19 and had the ball when back-up point guard T.J. Bannister got fancy and threw a behind-the-back pass that ended up in FSU hands. That got him a quick Leitao hook -- one of many on the afternoon -- but nobody was on the bench for long.

The Cavaliers ended the game with six scholarship players, having lost freshman Lauris Mikalauskas to a broken nose with 9:12 remaining in the first half, and sophomore Tunji Soroye to fouls with 5:25 left.

The Cavaliers, who trailed 39-28 at the half, opened the second half by throwing away the inbounds pass. They twice trailed by as many as 19 points and never had the deficit under double figures after halftime.

"We're right in the mix," Reynolds said. "We've got a very good team coming up next. We've got to take care of our home court."

 

Wilson's seven 3s lift 'Noles
By Jack Corcoran
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

Sixth-year senior Andrew Wilson has played in 122 games at Florida State but none have been in the NCAA tournament.

That is what's driving Wilson, who tied the school record for games played and scored 21 points Saturday in a 76-62 victory over Virginia at the Civic Center.

“It means everything,” Wilson said. “It's what I've been working for for six years. It's what this team wants. It's what this program needs.”

Wilson hit seven 3-pointers to match his career best and help move FSU (16-7, 6-6) into a four-way tie for fifth place in the ACC. He made two 3-pointers in an early 12-0 run and struck from long range on consecutive possessions early in the second half to put the Seminoles up 18 points.

“He's a one-dimensional player that has an excellent one dimension,” Virginia coach Dave Leitao said.

Attempting to return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1997-98, FSU bounced back from a dismal 22-point loss at No. 18 North Carolina State on Wednesday. The Seminoles shot 51.9 percent from the field against Virginia's 2-3 zone.

Alexander Johnson had 15 points, 13 rebounds and a career-best five blocked shots. Todd Galloway (12), Al Thornton (10) and Jason Rich (10) also scored in double figures.

Wilson was 7 for 11 from 3-point range and didn't attempt a shot inside the arc. He helped FSU build an 18-5 lead with two early 3-pointers.

“Once you get a guy rolling like that, you better keep feeding him,” Rich said.

Wilson, whose injury-plagued career earned him a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA, moved into a tie with Rodney Dobard (1990-93) and Adam Waleskowski (2002-05) atop FSU's games-played list.

Virginia (13-10, 6-6) missed 10 of its first 11 shots and finished just 39.3 percent for the game. J.R. Reynolds led the Cavaliers with 18 points on 5-of-13 shooting. Sean Singletary was held to 12 points on 4-of-14 shooting.

“I was especially pleased with our perimeter defense,” said FSU coach Leonard Hamilton, whose team hosts Maryland on Wednesday.

 

Ball movement key to FSU win
Improved passing leads to 11 3-pointers for Seminoles
By Jack Corcoran
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

Florida State men's basketball coach Leonard Hamilton didn't have to be jealous of the opposition Saturday at the Civic Center.

FSU's ball movement was exceptional in its 76-62 victory over Virginia.

“Coach Ham made a big-old fuss about how he was jealous about other teams playing to each other's strengths and moving the ball like N.C. State,” junior Alexander Johnson said. “We came in and showed we can do it, too. But we want to do it consistently.”

Sixth-year senior Andrew Wilson was the biggest beneficiary against the Cavaliers, scoring 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting from 3-point range.

“I thought our players did a very good job of locating him,” Hamilton said. “A.J. kicked it out to him, (Ralph) Mims reversed it to him. Al (Thornton) was looking for him.

"I thought our players made a conscious effort to get the ball to him, which is something that we have to continue.”

Getting up enough shots has been the challenge throughout the season for Wilson, who's shooting 55.2 percent from beyond the arc but had attempted only 13 3-pointers in the previous six games.

FSU was 11 for 20 from 3-point range against Virginia. Todd Galloway made two of his three attempts while Thornton and Mims were both 1 for 1.

Solid ball movement helped No. 18 North Carolina State sink 13 3-pointers in an 86-64 victory over the Seminoles on Wednesday.

Hamilton had grown envious. FSU was just 13 of 58 (22.4 percent) from 3-point range in its previous four ACC games.

FSU's passing was crisp from the start against the Cavaliers, who found themselves in early foul trouble and didn't budge from their 2-3 zone.

Jason Rich and Mims set up Wilson for 3-pointers in an early 12-0 run. Freshman Uche Echefu converted off one of Wilson's rare misses, capping the run with a putback that gave the Seminoles an 18-5 advantage.

“That's something that we've been working on a lot in practice lately, trying to be more patient and trying to let our talent take over instead of trying to force things,” Wilson said. “We know that if we're patient and getting the looks that we want to get, we're hard to stop.”

Galloway had five of FSU's 17 assists and only one turnover as he outplayed Virginia standout point guard Sean Singletary.

“Everybody was playing very unselfish, finding the shooters,” Galloway said. “We understand Wilson is a great standing shooter. When you're out there swinging the ball, you're trying to get that guy shots because most times he's going to knock them down.”

Wilson played a career-high 33 minutes off the bench. He entered 2:31 into the game after slumping sophomore guard Isaiah Swann picked up his second foul.

Swann was yanked 1:02 into the second half following an ill-advised pass and charge in transition and didn't return.

“But that's because Wilson was playing lights out,” Hamilton said. “Goodness gracious.

"I wanted to keep him on the floor as much as I possibly could.”

FSU improved to 6-1 following losses.

“This is a very resilient team,” Wilson said.

“Now we just need to figure out how to pile a couple of (wins) on top of each other.”

Noteworthy
The officiating team included Mike Eades, who was a member of the crew that was suspended following FSU's overtime loss at Duke on Feb. 4. Eades was working his first game involving the Seminoles since Johnson was charged for a technical foul that the ACC later ruled should not have been assessed.