Clemson 75, Virginia 57
Jeff White
Published: March 4, 2009
For a half, it was a fiercely contested ACC men's basketball game. After that,
it was no contest.
The Clemson Tigers, who lost in overtime to the Virginia Cavalier at John Paul
Jones Arena last month, avenged that defeat in emphatic fashion last night. The
18th-ranked Tigers celebrated Senior Night by crushing the Cavaliers 75-57 at
Littlejohn Coliseum.
All-ACC candidate K.C. Rivers, one of the Clemson seniors recognized before the
game, scored only two points.
But on a night when Cavaliers freshman star Sylven Landesberg failed to make a
field goal, missed five free throws and scored three points, U.Va. (3-12, 9-17)
couldn't keep up once Clemson (9-6, 23-6) started rolling.
Landesberg went 0 for 6 from the floor. The three points were the second-fewest
he's scored as a Cavalier. In his past three games, with opponents focusing
their defenses on him, the 6-6 swingman has made only 6 of 23 field-goal
attempts.
"There's a little bit of a balance that you have to strike," U.Va. coach Dave
Leitao told radio analyst Cory Alexander after the game, "where he has to pick
better spots, and then I think people around him have to step up. And I think he
feels, as a young guy, a little bit of pressure to have to do things, because
he's been doing them 80, 90 percent of the year, and now they're not as easily
available to him. So it's a mental adjustment to him as much as physical. It's
just part of the process of learning the game."
Junior forward Trevor Booker led the Tigers with 13 points and 15 rebounds.
Senior center Raymond Sykes, in his final appearance at Littlejohn, contributed
14 points.
Nineteen seconds into the second half, a basket by junior guard Calvin Baker
gave the U.Va. a one-point lead. Then came the onslaught. By the time Virginia
made its second field goal of the second half, only 11:13 remained, and the
Tigers led by 15.
Clemson did not lack motivation last night. The Tigers had lost two games in a
row, they wanted revenge for their loss in Charlottesville, and they wanted to
honor their departing seniors. For a half, they sputtered, but they found their
rhythm after intermission.
"My fear going into the game was that they would play with a lot of energy and
passion for all the reasons I stated before," Leitao told Alexander, "and it
just seemed, obviously, that they changed a little of their mindset [in the
second half]."
Baker finished with a career-high 18 points. Sophomore forward Mike Scott added
13 points and eight rebounds, and sophomore guard Jeff Jones had 11 points for
U.Va., which has lost four games in a row.
Emotions ran high last night for the Cavaliers, who were called for three
technical fouls: one apiece on Leitao, Baker and seldom-used freshman John
Brandenburg, a 6-11 center whose first appearance in about a month was
memorable. Brandenburg drew the T for what officials deemed to be taunting after
he swatted away a Clemson shot near the basket.
Tigers sophomore guard Terrence Oglesby (18 points) made all six technical foul
shots.
Virginia got the start it wanted, racing to a 7-2 lead, with all seven points
coming from Baker. The Tigers didn't take their first lead until the 11:30 mark
of the first half, on a 3-pointer by reserve forward David Potter. Oglesby
followed with another trey for the Tigers, and then Booker's free throw made it
18-13 with 10:13 left. Clemson's lead soon grew to 22-13, and a blowout seemed
imminent.
Before the game, Leitao called Clemson "probably the best team in the league, or
anywhere else in the country, in making runs." Given that, he had reason to be
concerned with his team down nine points.
But the Wahoos responded with a spurt of their own, a 12-2 run in which Scott
scored seven points. Clemson rallied to take a 32-29 lead, but Jones scored off
a backdoor pass from Scott to make it a one-point game at halftime.
The technical called on Leitao seemed to inspire his team. With 9:07 to play in
the first half, he picked up the T for protesting a no-call on a play in which
Jones appeared to get hammered on a drive. Oglesby's technical free throws
pushed Clemson's lead to 22-13, and the crowd roared, but the Cavaliers fought
back. When they needed a similar rally in the second half, though, they couldn't
produce it.
For the second straight game, U.Va. played without starting center Assane Sene.
The 7-foot freshman is out with a sprained right ankle.
Virginia closes the regular season Saturday against Maryland at the JPJ. Game
time is 3:30 p.m.
Pregame musings
Jeff White
Mar 03, 2009
CHARLOTTESVILLE – As the end of his fourth season at the University of Virginia
approaches, Dave Leitao has a 62-58 record as the Cavaliers’ coach. In ACC
regular-season games, U.Va. is 26-36 under Leitao. He led U.Va. to the NCAA
tournament in his second season, but that seems an eternity ago to many fans.
Virginia (3-11 ACC, 9-16 overall) plays No. 18 Clemson tonight at Littlejohn
Coliseum. After that comes the Wahoos’ regular-season finale, Saturday against
Maryland at John Paul Jones Arena, and then at least one game in the ACC
tournament.
Not since 1967-68, when they finished 9-16, have the Cavaliers won fewer than 10
games in a season. That could very well happen this year.
“This is a difficult stretch,” Leitao acknowledged Monday.
If U.Va. wanted to part ways this year with Leitao, whose contract runs through
the 2012-13 season, it would cost the school about $2 million. Don’t expect that
to happen. I’ve been assured by sources I trust implicitly that Leitao will
return, though I won’t be surprised if his staff includes new faces next season.
Virginia has only two seniors, neither of whom has had a big year. U.Va.’s
conference counterparts will lose such seniors as Toney Douglas, Tyler
Hansbrough, Danny Green, Jack McClinton, A.D. Vassallo, Tyrese Rice, K.C.
Rivers, Courtney Fells and Ben McCauley. Moreover, several players from from
this group of ACC underclassmen are likely to leave early for the NBA: James
Johnson, Jeff Teague, Al-Farouq Aminu, Ty Lawson, Gerald Henderson, Wayne
Ellington and Greivis Vasquez.
On the ACC coaches’ teleconference Monday, Leitao admitted that, when he
reflects on his fourth season at Virginia, he asks himself what he could have
done better and what adjustments he might have made.
“It’s difficult,” he said, “but at the same point in time, it doesn’t shake both
my confidence and my wherewithal to know that we’re doing the right thing, we’re
going in the right direction.”
There’s a reason Virginia was picked, in the preseason media poll, to finish
12th in a 12-team league. From a mediocre 2007-08 team, the Cavaliers lost their
best player, all-ACC point guard Sean Singletary. For much of this season,
Leitao has started three freshmen – Sylven Landesberg, Assane Sene and Sammy
Zeglinski—and the rotation also includes sophomores Mike Scott and Jeff Jones.
That his team has struggled is no shock to Leitao.
“I knew it was part of the overall process, but at the same point in time it
doesn’t make it any easier,” he said. “You just gotta scratch and fight and claw
every single day to get better, which I’ve tried to preach to our team.”
Spurlock update
Jeff White
Mar 01, 2009
It’s fitting that Tristan Spurlock plays for a team whose nickname is the
Ambassadors, because he seems destined to be an ambassador for U.Va. hoops.
“He’ll be our best recruiter,” Virginia assistant coach Bill Courtney said.
I got my first look at the 6-8 forward in action Friday night at Benedictine
High’s tradition-rich Memorial Gymnasium. Spurlock, of course, signed with U.Va.
in November. After two years at Montrose Christian in Rockville, Md., he’s
spending the 12th grade at Word of Life Christian Academy in Springfield, which
is closer to his home in Woodbridge.
With each team wanting a tuneup before their respective state tournaments, Word
of Life and Benedictine agreed to meet in Richmond. Long before tipoff, Spurlock
was on the court warming up, but he happily took time from practicing his
3-pointers and dunks to chat with U.Va. fans.
Afterward, he was unfailingly polite to fans who stopped to wish him well in
Charlottesville. He’s charismatic and quick with a smile and strikes me as a guy
who, like Sylven Landesberg, would be comfortable as one of the faces of the
Cavaliers’ program.
The game, as expected, wasn’t close. Benedictine is a perennial power that
competes in the Virginia Independent Schools’ Division I, which comprises the
state’s largest private schools. Word of Life is in Division III, which is made
up of the state’s smallest private schools.
Benedictine, led by its University of Richmond-bound guard, Darien Brothers,
whipped Word of Life 82-62. Spurlock, who played 31 of the game’s 32 minutes,
finished with 26 points, six rebounds, five blocks, two steals and two assists.
He turned the ball over three times against the Cadets’ swarming press.
He’s an acrobatic dunker with a soft touch from the outside. Spurlock, who
seemed content to operate on the perimeter for most of the game, even though he
was the tallest player on the court, made 10 of 17 field-goal attempts,
including 4 of 7 from beyond the arc. In a recent game, he went 23 for 23 from
the line, but he missed 4 of 6 free throws against Benedictine.
Spurlock hit first four shots Friday night, including two contested 3-pointers.
“After that we decided to see if anyone else could make shots [for Word of
Life],” said Benedictine coach Sean McAloon, who instructed his players to focus
more on stopping Spurlock.
“I think he’s fantastic,” McAloon said. “He obviously doesn’t have a lot of
help, but he’s very under control, he knocks shots down, he’s got deep range.
He’s got a couple things to work on, obviously, but he’s going to be fantastic.”
It’s hard to overstate the lack of talent on Word of Life’s roster. One of
Spurlock’s teammates had 17 points, but there might not have been another
Ambassador who would have played for Benedictine.
At Montrose Christian, Spurlock played in a program that churns out
major-college recruits. Montrose traditionally ranks among the nation’s finest
teams, and it beat Word of Life 96-33 in the 2007-08 season opener.
At Word of Life, Spurlock is The Show, and he carries a heavy burden.
“I do, but that’s nothing I don’t expect from myself,” Spurlock told me. “I know
I’ve got to do a whole lot, and I’m not going to start whining and complaining
now. I’m going to keep moving and doing everything I should do.”
His experience at Word of Life, Spurlock said, has “been great for me. I didn’t
come here to play basketball. I came here to grow as a person and be closer to
home.“
With his future coach, Dave Leitao, in the stands at Benedictine, Spurlock
flashed the athleticism and shooting touch that attracted the Cavaliers.
“He told me he might come to the game,” Spurlock said. “I didn’t know if he was
going to come for sure, but when I got a little hot and made a couple shots, I
saw him and winked at him.”
On this night, at least, he didn’t look particularly interested in defense or
rebounding, and that will have to change if Spurlock hopes to play a large role
for a Leitao-coached team. But I spoke to Leitao yesterday afternoon after
U.Va.’s loss to Wake Forest – Spurlock attended the game—and he didn’t seem
overly concerned about the lapses he saw Friday night.
Spurlock played solid defense and rebounded well when he was at Montrose, Leitao
said. If anything, he was too passive on offense as a sophomore and junior, and
U.Va.’s coaches like the fact that Spurlock has had to assert himself with the
ball this season.
Tigers wear down UVa
The Cavs lead briefly to start the second half but cannot keep pace with Clemson
after that.
By Doug Doughty
CLEMSON, S.C. -- On a day when South Carolina was experiencing a storm-induced
gasoline shortage, Virginia was left with nothing in its tank at Littlejohn
Coliseum.
The Cavaliers scored on their first possession of the second half to take a
one-point lead Tuesday, then conked out in a 75-57 loss to 18th-ranked Clemson.
The Tigers (23-6, 9-6 ACC) had six second-half dunks against a Virginia team
that was much tougher on the officials than it was the opposition.
Coach Dave Leitao was whistled for a technical foul in the first half, and two
of his players -- Calvin Baker and seldom-used freshman John Brandenburg --
received technicals in the second half.
It was Leitao's first technical since early in the 2006-07 season and the first
technicals called against a UVa coach or player this year.
"It's unfortunate because we've been relatively technical-free," Leitao said. "I
don't think any of them were of a real malicious nature."
Virginia (9-17, 3-12) suffered its 12th loss in the last 14 games, including
four in a row. The 17th loss was the high for the UVa men's basketball team
since the Cavaliers finished 11-19 in 1997-98.
Virginia has lost 33 games over two seasons for the first time since 1966-68.
The Cavaliers, who had beaten Clemson 85-81 in an overtime affair Feb. 15 in
Charlottesville, jumped to a quick 7-2 lead and were ahead 13-9 before the
Tigers went on a 13-0 run.
That included a pair of free throws by Terrence Oglesby after Leitao received
his technical with 9:07 remaining.
Leitao voiced his displeasure with the officiating crew of Gary Maxwell, Roger
Ayers and Michael Stephens after seeing the Cavaliers' Jeff Jones take the ball
to the basket and end up on the floor.
The no-call involving Jones was near the end of a 9:47 stretch when UVa was
called for five fouls and Clemson for none.
"I thought there was a foul and I took two steps forward," Leitao said. "I
didn't realize I was that far out, but obviously I was further out on the court
than I needed to be."
The technical against Baker came when he was tied up at midcourt and slammed the
ball to the floor in frustration.
"I was upset at myself more than anything," Baker said. "We had worked before
the game on not picking up our dribble. I picked it up and I knew what I did was
wrong. The ball flew up in the air when I bounced it, so I understood why they
gave it to me."
Baker scored the first seven points of the game for UVa and had 12 at the half
as the Cavaliers went to the locker room down 32-31. When he scored on the first
possession of the second half, Virginia led 33-32.
The Cavaliers then missed their next 11 shots from the field, going nearly 812
minutes without a field goal in falling behind 52-35.
"In the first half, we felt like we were competing," said Baker, who finished
with 18 points, his high in two seasons at Virginia after transferring from
William and Mary. "In the second half, it really felt like there was no hope.
"They were just going on so many runs. Clemson's a good team. They play really
well at home. We just didn't answer them like we did in Charlottesville."
Sophomore Mike Scott had 13 points and eight rebounds for the Cavaliers, who got
11 points from Jones. However, team scoring leader Sylven Landesberg was held to
three points after scoring 23 in the earlier Clemson game.
Landesberg was 0-for-6 from the field and made only three of eight free throws
after shooting 82.8 percent from the free-throw line in the previous 25 games.
He has failed to score from the field in four of the last five halves.
"I think teams have loaded up on him," Leitao said. "It's a difficult situation
when you're a young guy and you've been successful doing it the way he's been
doing it for most of the season.
"It has led to a lot of frustration and forcing some things, but he's got to get
more help from the people around him."
Tigers slam Cavaliers
By Pete Iacobelli | The Associated Press
March 4, 2009
CLEMSON, S.C. - — Look out below.
Clemson forwards Trevor Booker, Raymond Sykes and Jerai Grant turned the second
half against Virginia into their own personal dunk contest and lifted the
18th-ranked Tigers to a 75-57 victory on Tuesday night.
Clemson coach Oliver Purnell had seen enough soft shots in the first half to
last all season and told his team to be aggressive.
"When we get the ball down low and the opportunity is there, we're going to try
and dunk it," said Booker, smiling.
Terrence Oglesby had 18 points, Sykes 14 and Booker his 11th double-double of
the season with 13 points and 15 rebounds as the Tigers (23-6) snapped a
two-game losing streak.
At 9-6 in the ACC, Clemson was guaranteed back-to-back winning league seasons
for just the second time in school history.
And it couldn't have been a more crowd-pleasing finale at Littlejohn Coliseum.
It didn't start out that way, though.
Virginia, which shocked the then-12th-ranked Tigers 85-81 last month, was ahead
in this one, 33-32, early in the second half.
Booker got things started with a dunk that gave Clemson a 38-33 lead. Sykes, one
of two seniors in the Tigers' starting lineup, followed with a right-handed
throwdown moments later.
Grant, the son of former Oklahoma star Harvey Grant, added a dunk to stretch the
lead to 44-35.
Booker used the left hand for his next jam, sending Littlejohn Coliseum into a
frenzy and putting the Tigers ahead 50-35.
Sylven Landesberg was held to three free throws. He came in averaging 17.4
points, but missed all six shots he took as the Cavaliers (9-17, 3-12) lost
their fourth straight.
Virginia coach Dave Leitao said opponents have started to run players at
Landesberg in waves. For Clemson, K.C. Rivers and David Potter did most of the
work around the perimeter with the 6-foot-9 Sykes waiting inside.
"It has led to a little bit of frustration," Leitao said.
That was obvious for the Cavaliers, called for three technical fouls — one each
on Leitao, Calvin Baker and John Brandenburg.
Leitao strode out near the 3-point line to protest one no-call on Jeff Jones in
the opening half.
Baker showed his angst by slamming the ball hard to the floor after a foul call,
although Leitao added his guard was mad at himself and the situation and not the
official.
Finally, Brandenburg had a prolonged scream after blocking Demontez Stitt's shot
that the officials did not like.
Oglesby made the Cavaliers pay, hitting all six free throws. He finished
10-of-10 from the foul line.
Clemson coach Oliver Purnell was glad his club recovered from its short losing
streak. "This team is resilient and probably could've handled" losing three
straight, Purnell said. "But I didn't want to go there."
Baker scored nine of Virginia's first 13 points to pull the Cavaliers in front,
13-9. Then after the Tigers used a 13-0 spurt the next three minutes, Virginia
answered back with an 10-0 run of its own to move back in front.
Leitao looked like he hurt his team's cause, getting whistled for a technical
with 9:07 left when he came out near the 3-point line to complain about a
no-call.
However, Virginia began its surge soon after and held the Tigers scoreless for
more than four minutes.
Tigers slam down Cavaliers 75-57
Clemson snaps its skid in the ACC and clinches a winning league record in
dominating fashion
By PAUL STRELOW - pstrelow@thestate.com
CLEMSON — As the last of Clemson’s three seniors to address the crowd after
Tuesday’s game, guard K.C. Rivers told fans to remain on the bandwagon.
The best is yet to come, Rivers said, predicting these Tigers would trump last
year’s team and go beyond the first round of the NCAA tournament.
For a half, it shaped up to be a forgettable final home for Clemson’s seniors —
the type of sloppy, lethargic performance that could trigger another late-season
slide.
The 18th-ranked Tigers might not have righted many of their issues in the final
half of Tuesday’s 75-57 blistering of listless Virginia, but they gave their
seniors a good send-off while keeping their recent struggles from getting worse.
“This game puts us back on track,” junior forward Trevor Booker said.
At least, the victory puts Clemson back in the race for one of the coveted top
four spots in the ACC standings — and the accompanying bye in the first-round of
next week’s conference tournament.
Booker had 13 points and 15 rebounds as Clemson (23-6, 9-6 ACC) climbed back
into a tie for fourth with Florida State, which fell 84-81 at Duke.
Sophomore guard Terrence Oglesby went a perfect 10-for-10 from the foul line to
net a team-high 18 points, while senior center Raymond Sykes rose to the
occasion to score 14 points — his career-high in a conference game.
The Tigers must prevail Sunday at third-place Wake Forest in order to have a
chance at a top-four finish, although their fate might be sealed after FSU’s
home game earlier that day against Virginia Tech.
The Seminoles must lose because they hold the two-way tiebreaker over the
Tigers, and a three-way tie that includes Wake (if all are 10-6) eliminates
Clemson.
In addition to the ACC race, coach Oliver Purnell said Tuesday’s victory was
huge for the team’s morale.
The Tigers had lost four of their previous seven and two in a row. And a second
stumble to the Cavaliers (9-17, 3-12) — locked in next-to-last place and losers
of four in a row — would have marked Clemson’s first three-game skid since the
infamous 2007 collapse.
“You don’t want to lose three in a row because it can play with your mind,
especially when you’ve never had that happen to your team before,” Purnell said.
“That’s what I was concerned about. Certainly, I think this team was resilient
and could have dealt with it, but I didn’t want to go there.”
Virginia held a 32-31 lead in the opening seconds of the second half before
Clemson seized control with a 19-2 run over the next eight minutes.
Purnell urged his guards to penetrate and attack more, and the approach yielded
dunk after dunk for the Tigers’ big men.
The offensively-challenged Cavaliers couldn’t keep pace, shooting 28.6 percent
in the second half while losing the rebounding edge.
Furthermore, leading scorer Sylven Landesberg — frontrunner for the ACC’s
freshman of the year award — was stifled by Clemson wings Rivers and David
Potter.
Landesberg, who scored 23 points in Virginia’s 85-81 overtime upset of Clemson
last month, went 0-for-6 from the field before he scored on a free throw with
3:50 to go and finished with three points.
“You’re going to lose some,” Rivers said. “But it all comes down to playoff
time. When it’s time to buckle down, this team will be ready.”
Dunk-happy Tigers roll
By Whitey Reid
Published: March 4, 2009
CLEMSON, S.C. — After a 75-57 demolition of Virginia, Clemson coach Oliver
Purnell said it was very important that his team had gotten the win — and not
just because it was Senior Night or for a potential bye in next week’s ACC
Tournament.
“We didn’t want to lose,” Purnell said, “because anytime you lose two or three
in a row, it can start to play with your mind.”
If that is indeed the case, Virginia players are probably about ready to star in
a remake of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”
On Tuesday night at Littlejohn Coliseum, Virginia lost its fourth straight game.
Earlier in the season, if you recall, UVa dropped eight in a row.
“Any losses hurt,” said Virginia senior Calvin Baker, who scored a career-high
18 points. “At first our team was playing good and starting to find its
chemistry, but I feel like tonight we just went back to our old ways, especially
going into the ACC tournament.
“We have one more game. We’re going to try and turn it around and have a little
bit of momentum going into the ACC tournament.”
One player who will be looking to right the ship is freshman Sylven Landesberg.
The guard had his third straight subpar performance. Landesberg was 0 of 6 on
the night and didn’t score his first point until under four minutes remained and
Virginia was down by 20. He finished with three points.
“It has caused some frustration on his part,” said Virginia coach Dave Leitao,
whose team hosts Maryland in its final regular-season game on Saturday. “We need
to get him some help from the other guys. We have to move the ball better. We
had seven assists tonight, which is not very good.”
After a close first half in which Virginia trailed by just a point, Clemson
exploded coming out of the locker room.
The Tigers (23-6, 9-6 ACC) started getting easy baskets in the paint — including
a number of thunderous dunks from the likes of Trevor Booker (13 points, 15
rebounds) and Raymond Sykes.
Virginia (9-17, 3-12), meanwhile, couldn’t hit anything. After a Baker basket on
the team’s very first possession put them up 33-32, the Cavaliers didn’t score
on their next 13 possessions. After the 12th, Baker — after turning the ball
over for the third time during the stretch — slammed the ball to the court and
was hit with a technical foul as a hostile home crowd howled in delight.
The technical was one of three given to the Cavaliers on the evening.
“Calvin’s was frustration,” Leitao said. “He had been playing very hard … he was
mad at himself.”
The first “T” came on Leitao in the first half when he disputed a no-call on a
Jeff Jones drive. “He got fouled,” Leitao said. “It was physical play and I
disagreed, so I stepped outside of the [coaching] box, unfortunately.”
The final technical came during garbage time at the end of the contest when
seldom-used freshman John Brandenburg blocked a shot by Demontez Stitt and was
called for taunting.
“I kind of lost control of my emotions after I blocked the shot,” Brandenburg
said. “I kind of yelled at the guy. It was kind of a stupid thing to do.”
Brandenburg was making his first appearance since the Jan. 15 game at North
Carolina.
“It wasn’t even English,” said Brandenburg, when asked what he had said to Stitt.
“I was kind of frustrated with the way the game was going and just happy that
something good had happened.”
The first half was a stark contrast from the second. The lead changed seven
times.
Virginia, behind swarming defense and the hot shooting of Baker — he scored nine
of the team’s first 11 points — built a 13-9 lead.
But Clemson went on a 13-0 run, highlighted by a Booker pass on the fastbreak to
Terrence Oglesby, to take a 22-13 lead.
During that stretch, Leitao picked up his first technical foul of the season
when he walked onto the court to dispute the no-call on Jones. The fiery display
seemed to rally the team. Virginia countered with a 10-0 run to retake the lead,
23-22.
UVa forward Mike Scott scored nine of his 13 points before the break. “We made
their players look like Wilt Chamberlain,” Purnell said. “I thought we were a
little slow.”
For the second consecutive game, Virginia was pounded on the glass. The Cavs
were outrebounded, 36-27.
“It was basically energy,” said Scott, repeating a tired old song. “They made a
run, just like they did last time, but we couldn’t counter it like we did
before.”
Dunks
Freshman center Assane Sene missed his second straight game with a sprained
ankle. … Clemson senior Jesse Yanutola, a walk-on, made the first start of his
career on Senior Night. The South Carolina native played one minute and did not
score.
Virginia falls apart in 2nd half
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: March 4, 2009
CLEMSON, S.C.
Call this one the Meltdown in Tiger Town.
After playing 18th-ranked Clemson nearly even in the first half, struggling
Virginia must have liked its chances of pulling off a second consecutive upset
of the highly favored Tigers on Tuesday night.
The visiting Cavaliers came into Littlejohn Coliseum with some swagger, having
knocked off then-No. 12 Clemson in Charlottesville on Feb. 15. On this wintry
Southern night, Virginia certainly didn’t play like the next-to-worst team in
the ACC.
Instead, the Cavs were energized by aggressive defense and an attacking
offensive game plan that caught the Tigers on their heels early on an emotional
Clemson senior night where fans said goodbye to K.C. Rivers, the winningest
player in Tiger hoops history.
Clemson coach Oliver Purnell commented that his team’s tentative start made
Virginia’s inside players look like Wilt Chamberlain, perhaps the most
overstated case of mistaken identity in the game’s history.
Still, the Cavaliers trailed by only a 32-31 count at the break thanks to guard
Calvin Baker’s hot hand (12 points on 5 of 7 shooting the first half).
The game took a dramatic turn from the opening minute of the second. After Baker
drew first blood with his a bucket for a 33-32 lead, the Cavaliers suffered a
monumental meltdown.
An ill-timed slump
Clemson went on a 10-0 run and by the 11:44 time out, the Tigers had taken
command of the game, having outscored UVa 18-4. The Cavs had managed only one
field goal — Baker’s — in more than an eight-minute stretch (plus two free
throws) and trailed by 15.
During that span, Baker was hit with the second of three technical fouls called
against Virginia after he was tied up at halfcourt by Clemson’s sticky defense.
Baker slammed the ball to the floor in frustration with it bounding well over
his head, an automatic technical.
Coach Dave Leitao was slapped with the first “T” in the first half, protesting a
foul called on Jeff Jones. Freshman John Brandenburg was hit with another later
in the game after blocking Demontez Stitt’s shot, then screaming in a taunting
manner.
Dunk you very much
That was just a small part of the collapse. Clemson stepped up its game big time
in the second half. The opening 10 minutes looked like one of those NBA
dunkfests, with Trevor Booker, Raymond Sykes and Jerai Grant putting on the
exhibition.
The Tigers smelled blood and quickly put away the Cavs, building a 20-point lead
(60-40) with eight minutes to play.
Purnell told his team during a time out during those first 10 minutes that he
felt they could break Virginia’s will if they didn’t let up. They got the
message.
Clemson connected on 53.6 percent of its shots in the second half, easily
outrebounded the Cavs for the game (36-27), increased their defensive intensity
(UVa made only 28.6 percent of its shots the second half), and cut its turnovers
in half.
The Tigers were a mere 1-5 this season when committing 15 or more turnovers.
They had 16 in this game (six in the second half) and managed to win going away.
Meanwhile, Leitao’s Cavs continued to struggle, dropping to 9-17 on the season,
3-12 in the ACC, including 12 of their last 14.
That means over the past two seasons, Virginia has an 8-23 record in ACC play
with one regular season game to go, a home match Saturday against Maryland. The
Cavs will attempt to avoid
becoming the first UVa team since the 1967-68 season to win only nine games.
Baker was the bright spot for Virginia during another night of futility. With
star freshman guard Sylven Landesberg being held scoreless for the first 32
minutes (he finished with only three points, all free throws), Baker kept the
Cavaliers in the game with a game-high 18 points.
His effort drew Leitao’s praise on a night where there was little to take
solace.
“Calvin, through thick and thin, has been booed at home, doesn’t always play
pretty for a guy who’s playing out of position, and turns it over more than a
point guard should,” Leitao said. “But he plays the game with heart and spirit.
That’s what we’re trying to get from everybody, every game. So, the things that
he does not do, I sometimes live with, because what I’m looking for, he’s one of
the guys that gives it to us.”
Heart and spirit are commodities that have been scarce around Virginia
basketball this season, a season that could end in with a resounding thud a week
from Thursday in the opening round of the ACC tournament.
Cavaliers Defeat VMI 19-3
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/03/2009
LEXINGTON, VA—Top-ranked Virginia scored the first six goals of the game and
rolled to a 19-3 win over VMI this afternoon in Lexington, Va. The win is the
Cavaliers’ sixth in a row this season, while VMI falls to 1-4 after losing for
the second game in a row.
Danny Glading paced the Cavalier offense with a career-high tying five goals and
four assists. Rookie Steele Stanwick notched four goals, while Gavin Gill scored
twice and added three assists. Virginia’s attack turned in an impressive
performance by scoring a combined 17 goals and adding nine assists.
The Cavaliers had huge advantages in shots (52-15), ground balls (45-21) and
faceoffs (19-6) as head coach Dom Starsia played every available player.
Glading had a hand in the first six goals, scoring three and assisting on three,
in the first 10 minutes of action.
Junior midfielder Lowell Patterson scored VMI’s first goal at the 3:25 mark of
the opening period on just his team’s third shot of the game.
Virginia scored the next five goals, including three by Stanwick, to take a
commanding 11-1 lead at halftime.
Midfielder Brett Leonard finished a nice pass from Keith Long as the Keydets
opened the second half scoring. Four Cavaliers scored the next five goals,
including two by freshman Chris Bocklet.
Tim Moran scored VMI’s final goal on extra man with 9:42 remaining in the game.
Tim Fuchs scored twice and Gill once to close the scoring for Virginia.
Mark Wade made the first start of his career in goal and recorded three saves in
39 minutes before being replaced by Rob Eimer and Rob Fortunato.
Virginia hosts Cornell Sunday at 2:30 pm at Klöckner Stadium. It is the first
regular-season meeting between the two schools since 1971. The game can be
watched on-line at ACC Select.
Virginia 7-4-4-4—19 record: 6-0
VMI 1-0-1-1—3 record: 1-4
att—300
Scoring (G-A)— UVa: Danny Glading 5-4, Steele Stanwick 4-0, Gavin Gill 2-3,
Garrett Billings 2-1, Chris Bocklet 2-1, Tim Fuchs 2-0, Steve Giannone 1-1,
Garett Ince 1-0, Chris Clements 0-1, George Huguely 0-1, Brian McLinden 0-1,
Mike Thompson 0-1. VMI: Brett Leonard 1-0, Tim Moran 1-0, Lowell Patterson 1-0,
Keith Long 0-1, Jacob Weimer 0-1.
Goalie Summary—V: Mark Wade 39:03 mins., 3 saves, 2 goals allowed; Rob Eimer
13:50, 2 svs., 1 GA; Rob Fortunato 7:07 mins., 2 svs., 0 GA. VMI: Sean McCoy 30
mins., 6 saves, 11 goals allowed; Alex Benedick 30 min., 7 svs., 8 GA.
Shots: UVA—52, VMI—15
Ground Balls: UVA—45, VMI—21
Clearing: UVA—14x16, VMI—16x26
Faceoffs: UVA—19, VMI—6
Penalties: UVA—3-3:00, VMI—4-3:00
EMO: UVA—1x4, VMI—1x3
UVa Golfers Win Argonaut Invitational in Spring Debut
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/03/2009
Pensacola, FL – The Virginia men’s golf team got its spring season off to a
stellar start by winning West Florida’s Argonaut Invitational in Pensacola. The
Cavaliers shot 2-under 286 during the final round to hold off Liberty by one
stroke and take the team title at 1-over 865.
Virginia was led by the top-10 finishes of Will Collins and Ben Kohles. Collins
was fourth overall at 3-under 213, including a 72 Tuesday. It was his best
tournament finish as a Cavalier. Kohles shot 3-under 69 during the final round
to move up to sixth overall at even-par 216. It was the second top-10 finish
this year for the UVa freshman.
Collins came up big for the Cavaliers on the final hole, a par-3 that is border
on the right side by Pensacola Bay. His tee shot went right but managed to hang
up in the turf and not roll into the water. From there he converted an
up-and-down to save par and give Virginia the win.
“That was a pretty unbelievable finish,” said UVa coach Bowen Sargent. “I told
Will if I gave him 30 tries, I’m not sure he could get that up-and-down more
than once from where he was”
Virginia’s scoring was rounded out by the 11th-place finish of Kyle Stough at
4-over 220. Conrad Von Borsig was 15th at 221 and Steven Rojas was 31st at 227.
Cole Willcox, playing as a non-scoring individual, was 21st overall at 224.
The win marked the Cavaliers’ fifth top tournament finish under Sargent and the
third consecutive season Virginia has won an event trophy.
“The team played solid all day,” Sargent said. “This was a tournament we felt we
had a good chance to win and the players worked hard and were prepared. It is
not always easy, especially playing in our first event of the spring, but it is
a great start to the season. The guys are pretty excited. We have a big week
ahead at Florida State, but this is a great start for us.”
Virginia stays in Florida over Spring Break and resumes play Friday at Florida
State’s Seminole Intercollegiate that runs through Sunday.
Argonaut InvitationalPensacola Country ClubPar 72, 6,815 yardsPensacola, FLFinal
ResultsTeam Results 1. Virginia 292-287-286-865 2. Liberty 284-295-287-866 3.
Washington State 296-286-288-870 4. James Madison 287-299-298-884 5. Air Force
295-286-308-889 6. Western Carolina 299-297-298-894 7. West Florida
304-296-296-896 8. Houston Baptist 300-309-291-900 9. Samford 317-289-307-91310.
Ohio 313-291-310-91411. Army 315-307-320-942Individual Leaders1. Tom Whitney,
Air Force 69-66-72-2075. Kevin Tucker, Washington State 73-70-68-2112. Kyle
Scott, West Florida 73-68-71-2122. Will Collins, Virginia 73-68-72-2137. Robert
Karlsson, Liberty 70-74-70-2146. Ben Kohles, Virginia 70-77-69-2164. Paul Mitzel,
Washington State 72-70-74-2168. Tanner Briele, Western Carolina 73-75-71-2198.
Tobias Pettersson, Liberty 70-78-71-2198. Richard Schenz-Davis, Liberty
77-71-71-219Virginia Results 4. Will Collins 73-68-72-213 6. Ben Kohles
70-77-69-21611. Kyle Stough 75-71-74-22015. Conrad Von Borsig 75-75-71-22131.
Steven Rojas 74-73-80-22721. Cole Willcox* 74-76-74-224* Non-scoring individual
Women’s Tennis Tops William & Mary 6-1
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/03/2009
WILLIAMSBURG, Va.– The No. 20 Virginia women’s tennis team recorded its fifth
consecutive win, defeating No. 48 William & Mary 6-1 Tuesday at the McCormack-Nagelsen
Tennis Center. The Cavaliers improve to 9-2 overall with the victory.
In doubles play, the Cavaliers swept all three matches for the first point of
the match. No. 51 Emily Fraser (Rye, N.Y.) and Jennifer Stevens (Miami, Fla.)
topped No. 46 Katarina Zoricic and Ragini Acharya 8-3 at the No. 1 position. No.
59 Neela Vaez (Perrysburg, Ohio) and Amanda Rales (Bethesda, Md.) downed Carmen
Pop and Klaudyna Kasztelaniec 8-5 at No. 2 doubles. Claire Bartlett
(Chattanooga, Tenn.) and Maggie Yahner (Las Vegas, Nev.) blanked Barbara Zidek
and Maria Morrissey 8-0 at No. 3 doubles.
In singles, the Cavaliers won five of the six matches. Four of those wins came
in straight sets. At No. 1, No. 83 Fraser downed No. 103 Zoricic 6-2, 6-2. Rales
topped Pop 6-4, 7-5 at No. 4 singles. Bartlett won at No. 5 singles, 6-3, 6-2
over Zidek. At No. 6 singles, Vaez cruised to 6-0, 6-0 win over Morrissey.
Lindsey Hardenbergh (Fairfax Station, Va.) added a third-set macth tiebreaker
win over Kasztelaniec at No. 3 singles, 6-3, 4-6, 10-5.
“This team has put together a very strong stretch of improvement and match
play,” said Virginia head coach Mark Guilbeau. “This is as excited and eager
this program has been over the past few years and it is great to see. All the
credit to the individuals on the team for taking ownership of their games and
the work needed to make this progress. They are clearly seeing that the effort
and commitment is worth it. A well deserved break is ahead and we look forward
to some positive practices next week as we prepare for a very strong Virginia
Tech team and the rest of the season. We intend to keep it up and get better as
we go.”
Virginia will return to action on March 15 as it hosts Virginia Tech.
No. 20 Virginia 6, No. 48 William & Mary 1
Doubles
1. #51 Stevens/Fraser (UVa) def. #46 Zoricic/Acharya (W&M) 8-3
2. #59 Vaez/Rales (UVa) def. Pop/Kasztelaniec (W&M) 8-5
3. Bartlett/Yahner (UVa) def. Zidek/Morrissey (W&M) 8-0
Singles
1. #83 Emily Fraser (UVa) def. #103 Katarina Zoricic (W&M) 6-2, 6-2
2. #92 Ragini Acharya (W&M) def. #72 Jennifer Stevens (UVa) 6-1, 6-3
3. Lindsey Hardenbergh (UVa) def. Klaudyna Kasztelaniec (W&M) 6-3, 4-6, 10-5
4. Amanda Rales (UVa) def. Carmen Pop (W&M) 6-4, 7-5
5. Claire Bartlett (UVa) def. Barbara Zidek (W&M) 6-3, 6-2
6. Neela Vaez (UVa) def. Maria Morrissey (W&M) 6-0, 6-0