New lineup, same result
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
February 10, 2008

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - After getting blown off its home court by 31 points on Thursday night by Clemson, Virginia coach Dave Leitao decided to shake things up a little against Wake Forest on Saturday afternoon.

Leitao removed Calvin Baker, Mamadi Diane and Mike Scott from his starting lineup and inserted Jeff Jones, Jamil Tucker and Ryan Pettinella.

The moves had about as much effect as $1 billion would have on a Keith Jenifer-for-president campaign.

Virginia’s downward spiral continued against Wake. The Demon Deacons, behind 21 points and eight rebounds from James Johnson and 15 points apiece from their backcourt of Ishmael Smith and Harvey Hale, handed UVa its sixth straight loss - an 80-64 setback in front of 14,179 at Lawrence Joel Coliseum.

How bad are things going for Virginia this season? Virginia senior Sean Singletary is already talking about the ACC Tournament, which is still over a month away.

“We have to look toward [the tournament],” Singletary said. “Hopefully we can do something in that. We play a couple of ranked teams coming up, so we can still do some things.”

Virginia, which lost its sixth straight, was led - not surprisingly - by Singletary’s 21 points. Fellow senior Ryan Pettinella played one of the best games of his UVa career in scoring 12 points and pulling down 11 rebounds, but missed key free throws down the stretch as the Cavaliers were trying to mount a comeback.

Virginia showed a lot more spunk than it did on Thursday, but was once again done in by some wretched shooting. UVa shot 33 percent from the field, including 21 percent (4 of 19) from 3-point range.

However, Leitao said his team’s shoddy defense was the issue.

“When we get stops, we make shots,” said Leitao, whose team hosts No. 3 North Carolina on Tuesday. “A little bit changed this year in that we equated the success the opposite way - if we make shots, we’ll make stops. That’s not how basketball is played - the way I know it.”

The Cavaliers had an 11-rebound edge on the glass, but that was due, in part, to the large quantity of bricks they were firing up.

After trailing by nine at the half, Virginia (11-11, 1-8 ACC) was able to chip away at the deficit behind Singletary and rugged play by Pettinella.

UVa cut the lead to three on a Tucker 3-pointer with just over eight minutes left, but Smith answered immediately with a triple to run the lead to 60-54 for Wake Forest (14-8, 4-5).

Five minutes later, Virginia was able cut the lead to three again after Singletary went on a personal 8-0 run, his last basket coming on a strong drive to the hoop on the Demon Deacons’ 6-foot-10 David Weaver.

However, Smith, the super-quick point guard, blew into the Virginia paint for an acrobatic layup. The basket ignited the crowd and was the impetus for a game-ending 13-0 run.

“Each time we thought we were picking up some momentum,” Pettinella said, “but it came to screeching halt when they would score like that. Defensively, we just couldn’t shut them off.”

Other than Pettinella’s strong effort, Leitao’s lineup changes didn’t have much effect.

Tucker scored just six points (on 2 of 10 shooting) in 30 minutes, although he had nine rebounds.

Jones had four points, four rebounds and two turnovers in 17 minutes. He did, however, hit his first 3-pointer since the Nov. 17 win over Arizona. That broke a string of 20 straight misses from downtown.

As a reserve, Diane proved equally ineffective. He had nine points on 2 of 9 shooting.

Baker and Scott combined for six points off the bench.

“What we’re doing is giving guys opportunities based on practice,” said Leitao, when asked about the new starting lineup. “That was a decision based on practice.”
 

Effort is there, but wins don't follow
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com
February 10, 2008
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.

Nothing short of a win would have made Dave Leitao smile on Virginia’s road trip to Wake Forest on Saturday.

While his Cavaliers left town haunted by a six-game losing streak they can’t seem to shake, at least Leitao could take some solace in the fact his team put forth a strong effort. That wasn’t the case last Thursday night when Clemson pummeled Virginia in Charlottesville, dishing out the worst home loss to the Cavs since 2005.

So, while Leitao was looking for a win in any kind of fashion in Winston-Salem, perhaps he felt a pulse in a team that has lost 9 of its last 10 games overall and sank to 11-11 on the season, 1-8 in conference play.

The Cavaliers, who haven’t won at Lawrence Joel Coliseum since 2000 (seven straight for those counting), they did battle back in the second half. They cut Wake’s lead to three on three separate occasions, only to see Deacons guard Ish Smith return fire, allowing his team to keep its cushion.

Singled out

Virginia’s effort officially derailed with 3:32 remaining in the game when Wake coach Dino Gaudio ordered his squad to go with a zone defense, something his team rarely practices.

The Deacs had to do something to stop All-ACC point guard Sean Singletary, who had reeled off eight straight points, cutting Wake’s lead to three for the last time. Gaudio knew that Singletary could take over the game, so the zone was a last-resort tactic.

His strategy did the trick. Virginia nor Singletary scored again on the final nine possessions in an 80-64 Wake win.

Afterward, Leitao acknowledged the move, noting that he didn’t expect it and that his team hadn’t seen a zone in a long time.

A somber mood existed in the Virginia locker room afterward, but it wasn’t as bad as a few nights ago when there was little - if any - effort against Clemson. If nothing else, the Cavs may have gotten that out of their system.

Improved effort

“I think everybody gave a great effort today,” said senior center Ryan Pettinella, who scored a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. “Everyone was going all out, as far as I could tell.”

Several Cavalier players said that anyone who suggested that the team quit against Clemson was wrong.

“Nobody quit in that game,” Pettinella said. “The pressure of the losses take a toll on some guys ... it’s killing everyone. But we didn’t quit.”

Pettinella’s day was marred by his continued struggles at the free throw line. He missed all five attempts, some of them badly.

At one point late in the game, he actually tried to fool the refs by sending teammate Jamil Tucker to the line for him, but game official Les Jones was wise to the plot.

“Almost got by with it,” Pettinella grinned.

That was about the only smile in the locker room after the game.

“You could never have told me our season would be like this,” said a disheartened Singletary, whose 44 double-figure games in a row match his jersey number. “But this is the hand we’re dealt and we have to get out of it some way.”

Both Leitao and Singletary repeated the same mantra as after every loss over the past five weeks: it’s all about defense. Any question that Leitao fields about his team’s shortcomings can all trace back to defensive problems in his mind.

“We’re not playing tough defense,” Singletary said. “We’re not playing Virginia basketball. We’re not getting over that hump.”

For those old enough to remember, Virginia basketball has always been about defense and rebounding, the two old trusty pack yaks instituted by Terry Holland in the mid-1970s. Leitao firmly believes that’s the only way to win basketball games, particularly the defensive part of the equation.

“For us, it’s day to day,” he explained. “If we’re having trouble with a few things, it affects us mentally. We were battling today but making the same type of errors. Other teams know that, too. They watch film and they see that this guy’s not rotating, or this guy’s not in a stance, or whatever.”

He’s right, you know. There are no secrets in the ACC. Opponents are so familiar with other league opponents, that they know all their strengths, all their weaknesses.

Virginia, which had finally shaken the road bugaboo last season with three conference road victories, has slipped back into that rut once again. Saturday’s loss at Wake was the Cavs’ eighth straight ACC road loss.

Maybe it’s coincidence - or maybe it’s part of Virginia’s lack of confidence - but the Cavs are getting off to shaky starts and finding it difficult to overcome the deficit. Their last three first halves of 26 points (Virginia Tech), 24 (Clemson) and 27 (Wake) are their three lowest first-half scoring totals of the season.

Leitao is hoping that perhaps some of Pettinella’s energy, not his free throw shooting, will rub off on his teammates.

“We talked about it five or six weeks ago,” Leitao said of a discussion with Pettinella. “The clock is ticking. You can’t waste a day. There should be a lot of other people, not just on our team, that should think that way. You don’t get today back. You don’t get a freshman year back. You don’t get a junior year back. You think you can do this forever, but time is running out.”

With seven conference games remaining, there’s still time for Virginia to experience an upturn. But it won’t happen unless, like Singletary said, the team returns to playing Virginia basketball.

Easier said than done.

 

There was no quit in Cavaliers but no win against Deacons
Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 - 12:06 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Those who thought the University of Virginia men's basketball team quit Thursday night in its 31-point loss to Clemson -- and many observers felt that way -- couldn't level that charge yesterday.

U.Va., which trailed ACC rival Wake Forest by nine points at halftime, thrice cut its deficit to three in the final nine minutes at Lawrence Joel Coliseum.

"I feel as though we gave a genuine effort tonight, but it wasn't enough," senior guard Sean Singletary said.

The Demon Deacons couldn't stop Singletary (21 points) from driving and scoring, so they abandoned their trademark man-to-man defense and switched to a zone with 3:31 remaining.

The change confounded the Cavaliers. They failed to score the rest of the way and fell 80-64 before a festive crowd of 14,179 at Lawrence Joel Coliseum.

"We weren't expecting it, and it's probably the first time in a long time that we've seen it," U.Va. coach Dave Leitao said of Wake's zone. "It made us take time off and just kind of figure ourselves out. If nothing else, just that time lapse was effective."

The Demon Deacons (4-5, 14-8), who never trailed, scored the game's final 13 points. If effort wasn't an issue for the Cavaliers (1-8, 11-11), execution remained a problem. They turned over the ball 16 times, shot 33 percent from the floor and broke down repeatedly on defense.

"When we get stops," Leitao said, "we make shots."

His team failed on both fronts yesterday. Wake came in last in the ACC in 3-point percentage. Against U.Va., the Deacons hit 10 of 21 shots from beyond the arc.

Wake came in ranked last in the ACC in 3-point percentage defense. But Virginia made only 4 of 19 from long range.

Take away senior center Ryan Pettinella (6 for 7) and Singletary (7 for 18), and U.Va.'s other starters were a combined 5 for 23 from the floor. Reserves Calvin Baker and Mamadi Diane struggled, too, and so the Wahoos are 1-8 in the ACC for the first time in 23 years, and their losing streak -- six games -- is their longest in five years.

The Cavaliers were coming off their worst performance in Leitao's three seasons as their coach. At home, Virginia trailed Clemson by as many as 38 points and showed an appalling lack of energy and enthusiasm.

"We just had a terrible taste in our mouths after that game," Pettinella said. "I couldn't sleep that night. It was just an embarrassing situation for the program, and we're all guilty of letting that happen."

Leitao broke out a new starting lineup yesterday, inserting freshman Jeff Jones for Baker at shooting guard, sophomore Jamil Tucker for Diane at forward and Pettinella for freshman Mike Scott at center.

Jones made his first trey in nearly three months. Tucker, in his first career start, shot poorly but finished with six points and nine rebounds. Pettinella scored a season-high 12 points and grabbed a career-best 11 rebounds and sparked the Cavaliers with his energy. He also hurt them with his free throw shooting.

Pettinella went 0 for 5 from the line and missed three times in the final 6:30. For the season, he's made only 5 of 23 free throws.

"It's very disappointing to me personally that I can't really nail that facet of my game down," Pettinella said. "It's really just been a downer the whole season, especially when you've got games like this."

Wake sophomore Ishmael Smith (1 for 5) wasn't much better from the line. But the cheetah-quick point guard punished the Cavaliers in other ways.

After U.Va. pulled to 57-54 on Tucker's 3-pointer with 8:16 left, Smith answered with a trey. After Singletary sliced into the lane for a layup that made it 61-58 with 6:00 remaining, Smith answered with a drive. Finally, after Singletary scored on another drive to pull U.Va. to 67-64 with 3:55 left, Smith answered with a bank shot that started Wake's game-ending 13-0 run.

"He's a good player," Leitao said, "and he's a great ability, along with [Wake freshman guard] Jeff Teague, because they're extremely quick, and they've got a great mind for the game."

 

UVa folds down stretch
Wake Forest scores the final 13 points of the game to hand the Cavs their sixth straight loss.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- It wasn't Clemson, but it wasn't good.

Less than 48 hours after a 31-point home loss to Clemson, Virginia gave itself a chance Saturday but collapsed down the stretch in a 80-64 loss to Wake Forest.

The Deacons scored the last 13 points after UVa had cut the deficit to 67-64 with nearly four minutes remaining.

"I've said throughout this stretch that it's not that we aren't battling, but we're making the same types of errors," said UVa coach Dave Leitao after the Cavaliers' ninth loss in the last 10 games, including six in a row. "Other teams see that on film and it builds their confidence."

Leitao shook up the Cavaliers' lineup, giving Jamil Tucker the first start of his career and restoring the starting spots that Ryan Pettinella and Jeff Jones had held previously.

"There's only one result and that's to score more points than the other team," Leitao said. "And, when that doesn't happen, then [the new lineup] doesn't work."

The Cavaliers (11-11, 1-8 ACC) never led and trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half.

Pettinella finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds for the second double-double of his two-year UVa career but also missed all five of his free-throw attempts.

"Thanks for throwing that one in," Leitao said.

No player in UVa history has attempted as many free throws as Pettinella (60) and shot as low a percentage (23.3).

"It's very difficult," said Pettinella, who made six of seven shots from the field. "It's very disappointing for me personally that I can't nail that facet of my game down. It's been a downer all season, especially when we've got games like this."

The Cavs got as close as three points on three occasions in the last 8 12 times and were not out of the game before Wake's Harvey Hale hit a 3-pointer to make it 72-64 with 2:45 left.

Hale was left open after UVa defender Sean Singletary was flattened by a screen.

"Obviously, the play went on, so they were at a man advantage," said Singletary, who collapsed in a ball, clutching his shoulder.

Singletary, who had 21 points at the time, returned but went scoreless the rest of the way. In fact, the Cavaliers did not score in nine possessions after Wake switched to a zone.

"We hadn't practiced a zone for 10 minutes," first-year Deacons coach Dino Gaudio said, "but we couldn't guard Sean. He kept getting to the rim and getting to the rim, but we had the wherewithal to keep him in front of us in the zone."

UVa couldn't defend the 3-pointer for the second game in a row. Clemson was 16-for-26 on 3-pointers in an 82-51 victory at John Paul Jones Arena, and Wake (14-8, 4-5) followed that with 10-for-21 from beyond the arc.

"We're not playing 'D,' " said Singletary, who extended his double-figure scoring streak to 44 games.

Virginia shot 33.3 percent from the field, marking the fourth time in five games that the Cavaliers have failed to shoot 40 percent. They made only four of 19 3-pointers.

Mamadi Diane, who had started all 53 of Virginia's previous games over the past two years, missed three shots in 51 seconds after entering the game and finished 2-for-9 from the field. Diane is 5-for-25 over the past three games.

Adrian Joseph played 32 minutes and had four points, three rebounds and four turnovers.

"It's true for us for two-plus years that, when we get [defensive] stops, we make shots," Leitao said. "We missed a lot of wide-open threes, point-blank mid-range shots and drives to the basket that would have put us in great shape, but you don't make those things continually. I don't care who you are.

"Wake Forest wouldn't have made 10 3-pointers if they hadn't defended us. They defended us well enough to get confidence."

 

Demon Deacons give Virginia sixth straight loss
By MELINDA WALDROP | Daily Press
8:02 PM EST, February 9, 2008
 

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - With 3:54 left in the game, Sean Singletary's drive and layup brought his Virginia team within three points of Wake Forest.

Three and a half minutes later, Singletary was on his hands and knees on the court, head down, chest heaving. His team hadn't scored another point and was seconds away from its sixth straight loss, an 80-64 defeat at Wake Forest.

"(It was) just a lack of energy down the stretch," Singletary said. "We've been in that situation plenty of times before, and we just didn't have what it takes to get over the hump. That could be the story for a lot of games this year, just not having what it takes to get over the hump."

A lot of depressingly familiar patterns were on display Saturday. The Cavaliers (11-11, 1-8 ACC) fell behind by double digits early, only to see a late rally come up short. Singletary scored 21 points but got little help from his teammates. Another opponent -- in this case, the ACC's worst 3-point shooting team -- made long-range shots look easy, like Clemson did in shooting 62 percent from 3-point range in beating the Cavs 82-51 Thursday.

The Demon Deacons (14-8, 4-5 ACC), making 30 percent of their 3s coming into the game, made 10 of their 21 3-pointers, while U.Va. went 4-of-19 from behind the arc. Singletary, a 38-percent 3-point shooter, was 0-for-3, while Adrian Joseph, also a 38-percent 3-point shooter, missed the only one he took.

"The game as I know it, and it's been true for us in two-plus years, is that when we get stops, we make shots," Virginia coach Dave Leitao said. "A little bit changed this year in that we equated that success the opposite way.

"If we make shots, we'll get stops, and that's not how basketball is played. ... Wake Forest wouldn't have made 10 3-pointers today if hadn't been for them defending us. They defended us well enough to get confidence."

Wake had plenty of confidence early, going up by as many as 13 in the first half. But Virginia pulled within five points five minutes into the second half on a tip-in from Ryan Pettinella, who got a rare start and responded with 12 points and 11 rebounds -- though his 0-for-5 night from the foul line hurt the Cavs late.

The Deacons pushed their lead back to 11 before another Cavs run cut it to 57-54 with 8:16 to play. But Wake sophomore guard Ishmael Smith hit a 3 to quell U.Va.'s momentum.

U.Va. pulled within three again at 61-58 on Singletary's bucket -- then Smith hit a floater in the lane.

Singletary's driving layup made it 67-64 with 3:54 to go -- and Smith made an off-balance scoop shot.

"Coaches can only do so much," said Smith, one of three Deacons in double figures.

"That's when the players have to make plays. We've got to make plays when teams are making runs."

Wake scored the game's last 13 points and was up by 13 when Singletary, trying to find a space in the defense, had the ball slip through his hands. He dove for it, but Wake collected U.Va.'s 16th turnover as Singletary slowly got to his feet, resignation on his face.

"We're not playing Virginia basketball. You can say it in a nutshell," Singletary said. " ... We gave a genuine effort tonight, but it wasn't enough."

 

Deacons down Cavs
Smith hits key field goals in 80-64 victory
By Dan Collins
JOURNAL REPORTER
Sunday, February 10, 2008

Every time Virginia made a charge at Wake Forest yesterday, the Deacons had an answer.

Most often, that answer was Ish Smith.

Smith, a 6-0 sophomore point guard, scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half to lift Wake Forest to an 80-64 victory over the downtrodden Cavaliers at Joel Coliseum. Six of Smith’s points came on field goals scored immediately after Virginia had cut the lead to three.

Wake Forest improved to 14-8 and 4-5. The Cavaliers fell to 11-11 and 1-8 with their ninth loss in the past 10 games.

“Ish Smith was really, really, really big,” teammate Harvey Hale said. “And that’s what he has done in the ACC. He takes matters in his own hands.

“That’s why I think he’s one of the best point guards in the nation.”

Virginia’s candidate for that distinction, senior Sean Singletary, kept the Cavaliers in the game with 21 points, three assists and two steals. After being held in check by Hale for long stretches, Singletary broke loose for 10 points in less than four minutes to slice what had been a 13 point lead to 67-64 with 3:57 remaining.

Then Wake Forest resorted to a 2-3 zone, and Virginia failed to score on its final nine possessions.

Hale, who has assumed the role of defensive stopper since sophomore L.D. Williams broke his hand on Jan. 22, said he relished the assignment of guarding Singletary.

“I went to bed early,” Hale said. “I ate my breakfast. I was just trying to do everything to get my mind right for Sean Singletary.”

That said, Hale wasn’t a bit sorry to see Coach Dino Gaudio direct the Deacons into a zone.

“He did a heck of a job at the end getting to the rim,” Hales said. “He just destroyed me.

“And thank God for the coach’s call, when we went zone.”

Smith offset Singletary’s production by playing 31 minutes with six assists and one turnover.

Virginia pulled to within 43-38 on a follow shot by Ryan Pettinella and Smith responded with a 3-pointer.

The Cavaliers pulled to within 57-54 on a 3-pointer by Jamil Tucker and Smith responded with his second 3-pointer on his second attempt.

Virginia pulled to within 61-58 on a driving basket by Singletary and Smith answered with a driving basket.

The Cavaliers pulled to within 67-64 on their final points of the game and Smith drove through the Virginia defense for a basket and a five-point lead.

Smith said he was only heeding the advice of Jeff Battle, the Deacons’ assistant coach.

“I feel that’s kind of my job on the team,” Smith said. “I set guys up, and when I need to score, I need to score.

“Coach Battle usually tells me at some point in the game, ‘You’ve got to be offensively aggressive. You’ve got to go.’

“Today he told me that at, I want to say, the 10-minute mark, and that’s when I turned it up and we pulled it out.”

Gaudio said the key was keeping pressure on the Cavaliers’ defense, which seemed to wear the visitors down. From the time Smith drilled his second 3-pointer for a 60-54 lead, the Deacons scored on 13 of their final 17 possessions.

“He was really aggressive,” Gaudio said of Smith. “He kept driving the ball.

“I told him to keep his foot on the accelerator and keep pushing the ball. He had a really good basketball game for us.”

James Johnson bounced back from three straight lackluster games to lead Wake Forest with 21 points and eight rebounds. Hale drilled four 3-pointers on seven attempts to score 15 points.

And the Deacons compensated for getting outrebounded 49-38 by holding the Cavaliers to 33 percent from the floor and 21 percent (4 of 19) from 3-point range.

“We’ve shot the ball well the last two games at home and that’s big for us,” Gaudio said, alluding to the Deacons’ 48-percent accuracy from the floor. “When the ball’s falling, it gives you a little bit of energy on defense and it picks our kids up mentally.”

Even so, there were moments when Singletary, a first-team All-ACC player the past two years, seemed bent on willing his team to a victory.

Smith, however, wouldn’t have it.

“We knew he was going to be offensively aggressive,” Smith said. “We knew he was going to come out and duck his head and try to go.

“And you know what, anytime you play someone of his magnitude, I always take personal challenges. You want to always nudge him and say, ‘Hey, you’re not the only one out here.’ ”

Williams, a 6-4 sophomore, missed his fourth straight game since he was hurt at Clemson.

Gaudio said he hopes to have Williams back for the Deacons’ next game, at Florida State on Thursday night.

“On Monday he’s getting looked at again to see whether he’s full-go at practice,” Gaudio said.

“We’ll see how he practices, whether we bring him off the bench - if he’s able to go.

“That’s a doctors’ decision.”

 

UVa plunges to 1-8 in the ACC
ByAndy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
February 10, 2008

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Grasping for anything to end Virginia's current slide, coach Dave Leitao shuffled his lineup at Wake Forest, swapping in three new starters in hopes of spurring a team sorely lacking in confidence and wins.
Little changed.

The Cavaliers lost their sixth straight game on Saturday, falling 80-64 to Wake Forest at Joel Coliseum to drop two games back of anyone at the bottom of the ACC standings.

Virginia (11-11, 1-8 ACC) has lost nine of 10 since the new year and is off to its worst start in conference play since the 1984-85 season.

"We're not playing Virginia basketball," said guard Sean Singletary, who tied for game-high honors with 21 points. "That says it in a nutshell. We're not getting over that hump."

James Johnson led Wake Forest (14-8, 4-5 ACC) with 21 points. Jeff Teague and Ishmael Smith added 15 apiece.

The Demon Deacons, who were second to last in ACC play in 3-point shooting, went 10-for-21 from long range. UVa's last two opponents have gone 27-for-48 on 3s.

Virginia couldn't keep up. The Cavaliers struggled from outside for the second straight contest, going 4 of 19 on 3-pointers, something Leitao linked to their defensive struggles.

"It's been true for us in two-plus years: When we get stops, we make shots," he said.

The Cavaliers, who started Jeff Jones, Jamil Tucker and Ryan Pettinella in place of Calvin Baker, Mamadi Diane and Mike Scott, trailed 36-27 at halftime, but they still had their chances after the break.

Pettinella, starting for the first time since the Syracuse game in December, notched his second career double-double, with a season-high 12 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. He scored eight of Virginia's first 13 points in the second half to get UVa within 46-40.

"He's got energy," Leitao said. "He's not going to go down in history as the most skilled guy, but he's proven that when you play with energy, good things can happen."

Virginia got within three points three times in the final 8:19. Each time, Smith had an answer.

After a 3 by Tucker, Smith buried one of his own to make the lead six again.

Two minutes later, Singletary made a layup to make it 61-58, only to watch Smith bank in a layup while getting fouled at the other end. He missed the free throw, but Wake got the rebound and Johnson finished the four-point possession with a dunk to make the lead seven.

Virginia's last gasp came around the four-minute mark. Singletary, who had 14 second-half points, made another running layup to get UVa within 67-64. But Smith banked in an acrobatic shot on Wake's next possession, falling across the right side of the lane to keep the Cavaliers at a safe distance.

"Last year, he took his lumps," Leitao said of Smith. "I think in this league, a good player like that has to go through highs and lows."

Virginia, which shot 33 percent (nearly a season low), didn't make a field goal in the final 3:59.

Pettinella's career day was spoiled by his free-throw shooting, a lifelong Achilles' heel. The senior missed all five of his free-throw attempts - badly - and was roundly mocked by the Wake Forest crowd.

After he was fouled at the two-minute mark scrambling for a loose ball, Virginia tried to sneak somebody else to the line, but the officials noticed and corrected the situation. Pettinella clanged the first before a lane violation spared him from another miss in the stat column.

"It's very disappointing for me personally that I can't nail that facet of my game down," said Pettinella, a career 23 percent free-throw shooter. "It's just been a downer the whole season."

Things don't get easier for Virginia, with No. 3-ranked North Carolina coming to Charlottesville on Tuesday for an 8 p.m. game. A loss would give the Cavaliers their worst start in ACC play since the 1976-77 team began 1-10.

"I think (losing) is taking a toll on us," Pettinella said.

"I don't think it's anything physical. It's all mental. We're a very talented team. ? I think it's just something from the neck up."

 

Deacons' Johnson lights up Cavs
Smith does his part during 2nd half as Wake Forest starts new streak
AARON BEARD
Associated Press
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WINSTON-SALEM --James Johnson had 21 points, while Ishmael Smith turned in a strong second-half performance Saturday to help Wake Forest beat Virginia 80-64.

Smith scored 13 of his 15 points after halftime for the Deacons (14-8, 4-5 ACC), who bounced back from a rare home loss last week. They lost to Georgia Tech 89-83 on Wednesday to end their league-best 16-game home winning streak, but they never trailed Saturday.

Sean Singletary scored 21 for the Cavaliers (11-11, 1-8), who hung around most of the way. Virginia has lost nine of 10, including eight straight ACC road games.

Both teams needed this win badly. While the Cavaliers can't get anything to go right just a season after tying North Carolina for the regular-season conference title, the Deacons are trying to shore up their postseason resume. Wake Forest faces a difficult finish with No. 2 Duke, the third-ranked Tar Heels and Maryland looming on the schedule.

Smith, who hit last-second baskets to beat Virginia Tech and Miami at Joel Coliseum this season, did his part to keep his young team moving forward. Time and time again, Smith came up with huge baskets to answer Virginia runs.

"He was real aggressive," first-year coach Dino Gaudio said. "I told him (during a timeout), `Ish, just keep being aggressive. Keep your foot on the accelerator and keep pushing the basketball.' "

He drained a 3-pointer followed by a contested jumper over Jamil Tucker after Virginia had closed to five early in the second half. He came through with another 3 after the Cavaliers had closed to 57-54 midway through the half.

His driving basket past Singletary while drawing a foul made it 63-58 with about six minutes left, then his a scooping shot on a drive for a 69-64 lead with 3 1/2 minutes to play.

The sophomore's shot started a 13-0 run to end the game.

"I looked at the Georgia Tech game and I felt like I let those guys down because I didn't play as well," Smith said of his five-point, six-turnover showing against the Yellow Jackets.

"I know those guys are looking for me to make big plays. That's my job on the team: set people up and when we need to score, score."