Cavs claim huge win in ACC/Big Ten Challenge
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
December 4, 2003

After a 3-0 start against questionable competition, Virginia couldn’t afford to lose its luster against Minnesota in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge on Wednesday night.

Instead the Cavaliers resurrected their defense and their hopes for an improved season with a 86-78 win over the Gophers.

The unbeaten Wahoos’ effort was spearheaded by Elton Brown and freshman Gary Forbes. Brown played like a man on a mission with 26 points and six rebounds as he returned to his old form with brilliant post moves.

UVa coach Pete Gillen said before the season that if the Cavaliers were to make any noise that his stable of freshmen couldn’t afford to play like freshmen. Forbes, a product of the hardcourts of Brooklyn, has more resembled a seasoned veteran.

The flashy New Yorker hit 8 of 14 shots and added 22 points and nine rebounds.

Gillen mixes it up

Criticized for the past couple of seasons for faulty defense, the Cavaliers looked like they finally understood Gillen’s lessons. For the fourth straight game, UVa held its opponent to less than 40 percent shooting from the floor.

Gillen has wisely mixed zone strategies, picking his spots and has disrupted opponents with pressure.

“Virginia did a great job of getting us out of rhythm offensively,” said Gophers coach Dan Monson.

That’s exactly what Gillen planned. He knew if the game turned into a halfcourt battle that his smaller team would get pulverized by a more physical Big Ten team. Using his team’s quickness to his advantage, Gillen went with pressure when it was most effective. Only star Minnesota freshman Kris Humphries was unfazed by whatever defense confronted him as the former McDonald’s All-American drilled in 32 points.

Key win for big picture

With a somewhat soft nonconference schedule, this was a game Virginia needed to win. Striving to return to the NCAA Tournament, the Cavs practically need to win every non-conference game and hope to win enough ACC games to make it back to the dance.

Minnesota still owned the boards by a 51-40 count but this time it didn’t matter.

After the Gophers knotted it at 61-all, Virginia went on an 11-1 run for a a 72-62 lead and never looked back.

The victory gave the ACC a lopsided 7-2 advantage in the fifth challenge against the Big Ten. The ACC has won all five challenges in the series.

Beating Minnesota was a definite boost to Virginia’s pride if not to its pedigree as the Cavaliers added more luster to its early season hopes.

If Gillen can keep his team on its current roll and the Cavaliers can prevent a hiccup in its road trip to Los Angeles in a couple of weeks, UVa could open ACC play at N.C. State on Dec. 28 with an 8-0 mark.

“It was a big win for our young team,” Gillen said.

At this point, any win is a big win.

 

Brown lifts Virginia past Minnesota
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
December 4, 2003

Elton-light proved quite strong enough on Wednesday night at University Hall.

Elton Brown, Virginia’s 6-foot-9 junior center who shed nearly 25 pounds in the offseason, scored a career-high 26 points to pace Virginia to an 86-78 win over Minnesota in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge.

Freshman Gary Forbes added a career-high 22 points and nine rebounds while Derrick Byars had 16 and junior Devin Smith had a career-high 10 rebounds as Virginia improved to 4-0 on the season.

Despite his new frame, Brown had struggled in the early going with inconsistent performances and, in many ways, had failed to meet the preseason expectations for himself.

“Elton played with more energy. He was tougher and more physical and didn’t get frustrated. He played like a man instead of getting upset at the small things,” said Gillen, whose team was outrebounded (51-40) for the third time in four games but held the Gophers to 37-percent shooting.

“He usually plays big in the big games and that’s what he did tonight.”

Freshman forward Kris Humphries, a former Duke signee who later opted to play for the home-state Gophers, had 32 points and 13 rebounds to lead Minnesota (2-2).

Virginia’s victory gave the ACC a convincing 7–2 margin in the fifth annual Challenge, which the ACC has never lost.

“This was a big win for our young team against a strong opponent,” said Gillen, whose team had yet to face a true quality opponent from a major conference. “Our defense was pretty good. … We still have to be more physical and aggressive on the boards but it was a terrific win and we’re thrilled to beat a quality opponent like Minnesota.”

After leading 35-34 at the break, the Cavaliers managed to push the lead to 54-44 with 13:36 left on a 3-pointer by J.R. Reynolds.

That lead, however, vanished as the Gophers’ 17-7 spurt tied the game at 61-61 after a 3-pointer by Michael Bauer with 8:20 left.

Virginia regained control of the game with a decisive 11-1 run of its own. A Brown three-point play, a Forbes layup, a follow shot by Devin Smith, two Forbes’ free throws and a breakaway layup by Brown gave UVa a 72-62 lead and caused Minnesota to take a timeout with 4:54 left.

“During that stretch we wanted to take our time and show some poise. We wanted to get it inside because they couldn’t guard Elton,” Gillen said.

Minnesota would get no closer than seven the rest of the way as Virginia maintained its lead thanks to an 8-for-10 performance from the line down the stretch.

Virginia led 35-34 at halftime behind 12 points from Byars and 11 from Brown.

The Cavaliers’ biggest lead was six at 16-10 with 13:39 left before intermission when Byars converted a pair from the line. The Gophers’ biggest lead was also six when it opened the game with a 6-0 run behind back-to-back treys by Bauer.

Neither team was able to shoot well in the opening 20 minutes as the Cavaliers shot 40.6 percent compared to 40 percent by the Gophers. Minnesota, however, held a sizable advantage on the boards with 29-14 margin including a 9-1 edge in offensive rebounds.

In somewhat of a statistical oddity, however, Minnesota held just a 20-18 lead in points in the paint.

Humphries, taking advantage of his size inside, paced the Gophers with 15 points and nine rebounds in the opening half.

Virginia returns to action Friday when it travels to VMI.
 

Brown’s career game propels Virginia
Elton Brown.
By HANK KURZ JR., Associated Press
© December 4, 2003

CHARLOTTESVILLE — Elton Brown scored a career-high 26 points and ignited a tiebreaking 13-1 run Wednesday night, lifting Virginia to an 86-78 victory against Minnesota in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

The victory gave the Atlantic Coast Conference a 7-2 edge in the series this season, the fifth time in as many years it has prevailed.

The Cavaliers (4-0) had seen a nine-point lead evaporate in a span of 3:14 as the Golden Gophers pulled even at 61 with 8:20 to play. But Brown’s driving lay-in fell as he was fouled. He finished the three-point play and Virginia finally pulled away to gain control.

Minnesota (2-2) lost despite 32 points and 13 rebounds from freshman Kris Humphries, 20 points from Michael Bauer and a 51-40 rebounding advantage.

The Gophers committed 18 turnovers to Virginia’s nine.

Brown, pressed for playing time by impressive freshman Donte Minter in the Cavaliers’ first three games, was sharp from the start. He had 11 points by halftime and seven more in the game-changing run. His last two in the burst, from the foul line, made it 74-62 with 4:04 remaining.

Virginia freshman Gary Forbes also played a big role in the run, scoring four of his 22 points, grabbing several key rebounds and blocking a shot by Humphries to get a fast break started for the Cavaliers.

Derrick Byars added 16 points and nine rebounds for Virginia, which had been in a getting-to-know-you phase through the first three games as coach Pete Gillen incorporated five freshmen into the playing rotation.

This time, they showed no signs of unfamiliarity, making crisp passes from the start, finding open shooters and playing solid defense.

Virginia scored 14 of the first 20 points in the second half to open a 49-40 lead, then kept it at five or better until a 12-4 run by the Gophers capped by Bauer’s 3-pointer tied it at 61.

The Cavaliers were outrebounded 29-14 in the first half, but committed only three turnovers while the Gophers had 12 as Virginia led 35-34.
 

Cavaliers Go to 4-0
U-Va. Survives Rally by Golden Gophers: Virginia Men 86, Minnesota 78
By Jim Reedy
Special to The Washington Post
Thursday, December 4, 2003; Page D07

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Dec. 3 -- Virginia center Elton Brown came through as promised, scoring a career-high 26 points to redeem himself after a string of what he called mediocre outings and lead the Cavaliers to an 86-78 win over Minnesota.

Brown hit 10 of 16 shots and played a key role in the decisive 11-1 run that pushed Virginia in front for good after the Golden Gophers tied the score at 61.

"I think I'm one of the top big men, so I've got to play like one," said Brown, who also grabbed six rebounds. "It's easy to talk . . . but you've got to go out and show it."

Teammates Gary Forbes (22 points, 9 rebounds) and Derrick Byars (16 points, 9 rebounds) provided offensive support, helping the Cavaliers (4-0) pass their first test of the season.

"It was a big win for our young team," Virginia Coach Pete Gillen said.

The victory nearly slipped away after Minnesota forwards Kris Humphries (32 points, 13 rebounds) and Michael Bauer (20 points) led a nine-point run that tied the game with 8 minutes 22 seconds remaining.

But that was all the Gophers (2-2) had left. Virginia stormed back after a timeout, beginning a 10-point burst when Brown scored inside, got fouled, and then converted the ensuing free throw. Byars followed on the next possession with a slashing drive that opened up an easy basket for Forbes. Devin Smith tipped in a miss, Forbes hit a pair of free throws and Brown jubilantly capped the run with a fast-break layup with five minutes remaining. The crowd roared its approval as Minnesota Coach Dan Monson, his team trailing 72-62, forlornly signaled for a timeout.

"It was crunch time," Brown said. "We can't lose. It would have been crazy the next day for us if we would have lost."

The Cavaliers, who were out-rebounded 29-14 in the first half, held a 9-1 advantage on the boards during the run. They held Minnesota to 37 percent shooting overall -- their fourth opponent in four games this season to come in under 40 percent -- and forced 18 turnovers.

"We didn't want it to be a half-court game, because we thought we'd have very little chance," said Gillen, whose team was at an overall 51-40 disadvantage in rebounding. "If it was a half-court game, they'd just pound it in to Humphries and pound the boards. The boards were a disaster again. . . . We can't consistently win if we don't rebound better."

Monson pointed out that Minnesota's guards didn't commit many of those turnovers, "but what we did is took shots out of that pressure without very good shot preparation. When we got inside to Kris, we were able to do some things."

The Golden Gophers trailed 35-34 at halftime, but they needed a timeout just 51 seconds into the second half, after an inside basket by Brown and a fast-break dunk by Forbes pushed Virginia's lead back to five.

It quickly got worse for the Gophers, as the Cavs continued through a 14-6 run, finally boosting the margin to 49-40 with about 16 minutes left when Todd Billet pulled up in transition for his first three of the game.

Cavaliers Notes: Smith was in the starting lineup for the first time this season. He had come off the bench in the past two games after missing Virginia's second exhibition game and the season opener because of a herniated disc in his back. . . .

The ACC won the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, 7-2, behind wins by Virginia, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, Florida State, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest.
 

Cavaliers rise to Challenge
E. Brown scores 26 as U.Va. survives Gophers' late runs
By Dave Johnson
Daily Press
Published December 4, 2003

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Yes, Minnesota needed overtime three days earlier to beat Furman at home. And no, the Golden Gophers don't have Kevin McHale anymore - though freshman Kris Humphries is getting there.

But Virginia's 86-78 victory in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge Wednesday night, warts and all, can only be seen as encouraging for a young team coming off three uninspired performances against three outclassed opponents. Despite another shaky effort on the boards, the Cavs used a key 12-1 second-half fun to complete the ACC's fifth straight Challenge win over the Big Ten.

Virginia (4-0) had a one-point lead at halftime, but began the second period with a bucket in the post by Elton Brown - who led with a career-high 26 points - and Gary Forbes' dunk in transition. Minnesota's Maurice Hargrow answered with a follow, but Forbes scored on a drive and Derrick Byars hit a 3-pointer to put the Cavaliers in front 44-36 with 18:04 remaining.

Virginia took its biggest lead at 54-44 with 13:19 left on J.R. Reynolds' 3-pointer from the top of the key, but the Gophers (2-2) wouldn't go away. Humphries scored in the post, and after a U.Va. turnover his 3-point play made it a 54-49.

The Cavs appeared to regain control with a 6-2 run, but back came Minnesota. The Gophers scored 10 of the next 11 points and tied the game at 61-all on Michael Bauer's trey with 8:19 left.

But just when it appeared to be a ballgame, Virginia didn't blink. Brown's 3-point play made it 64-61, and after Stan Gaines went 1-of-2 from the line Forbes scored off a nice Byars feed to put the Cavs ahead 66-62.

After Gaines missed from the line, Devin Smith scored on a follow to give Virginia a six-point lead with 6:37 left.

After another Minnesota miss, Forbes went 2-for-2 from the line. After a Gopher turnover, Brown made a layup in transition. And after Forbes blocked 7-footer Jeff Hagen's shot, Brown went 2-for-2 from the foul line to give the Cavaliers a 74-62 lead.

After grabbing one offensive rebound in the game's first 311/2 minutes, the Cavaliers had six in a key seven-possession stretch.

Forbes followed Brown with 22 and Byars had 16. Humphries, who originally signed with Duke before being released from his scholarship, led all scorers with 32.

Virginia came into Wednesday night 1-2 in its previous three ACC/Big Ten Challenge games, its lone victory a 98-79 win over Purdue three years ago.

Virginia lost at Minnesota in 1999 and at Michigan State in '02. Virginia's game against the Spartans a year earlier was canceled due to unplayable conditions in the Richmond Coliseum.

Minnesota outrebounded Virginia by a staggering 29-14 margin in the first half.

Virginia shot 40 percent in the opening 20 minutes and had two second-chance points.

Although Minnesota had nine offensive boards, it converted them into only six points - four in the final 104 seconds. Humphries was the best player on the floor with 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting and nine rebounds.
 

Press keys Cavs' win
Brown nets 26 points, Forbes 22 as Virginia raises record to 4-0
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Dec 4, 2003
VIRGINIA 86 MINNESOTA 78

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Minnesota won the battle of the boards. Virginia won the war.

The unbeaten Cavaliers contributed to their conference's commanding victory in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, winning 86-78 before an ESPN2 audience and an announced crowd of 7,084 at University Hall.

It's not easy for a team to win when it gets outrebounded 29-14 in the first half and 51-40 overall, as U.Va. (4-0) did last night. But the Cavaliers hounded the taller, slower Gophers (2-2) into 18 turnovers and held them to 37-percent accuracy from the floor.

"They just did a great job of getting us out of our rhythm offensively," Minnesota coach Dan Monson said.

Virginia led 54-44 with 13:34 left, after freshman guard J.R. Reynolds hit a 3-pointer, and 60-51 at the 10:59 mark. But the Gophers fought back and pulled to 61-61 on 6-8, 225-pound senior Michael Bauer's 3-pointer with 8:19 left.

The score hadn't changed when the teams headed to their benches for a TV timeout with 7:43 left. U.Va. coach Pete Gillen told his players to get the ball inside to center Elton Brown. They complied, and the big guy delivered. Brown's three-point play with 7:39 put the Cavaliers ahead to stay. Virginia stretched its lead to 12 with 4:04 left and never let Minnesota get closer than seven points thereafter.

Brown, a 6-9, 250-pound junior, finished with a career-high 26 points and added six rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots. He hit 10 of 16 shots from the floor and 6 of 7 from the line.

"He played like a man," Gillen said, "instead of getting frustrated by little things."

Monson said: "Brown's a load, and he was tough to handle in there."

So was freshman Gary Forbes, who scored a career-best 22 points for Virginia and grabbed nine rebounds. The 6-6 swingman from Brooklyn, N.Y. also had two blocks and two steals.

"I just love being out there in the spotlight, on ESPN2," Forbes said.

Junior forward Devin Smith, who hasn't practiced much because of a back injury, missed 5 of 6 shots from the floor but paced U.Va. with a career-high 10 rebounds. "He's got the heart of a lion," Gillen said.

The Cavaliers aren't likely to face Kris Humphries again before he moves up to the NBA, and for that they should be thankful. The 6-9, 236-pound freshman, who originally signed with Duke, totaled 32 points and 13 rebounds.

"He was just a monster," Gillen said.

Bauer, who made only three treys in the Gophers' first three games, was 5 for 8 from beyond the arc last night and finished with 20 points. But he turned the ball over five times. Two other Minnesota post players - Humphries and 7-0 Jeff Hagen - had four turnovers apiece.

"We wanted to pressure them a little bit," Gillen said, "and try to get them out of their offense. We didn't want it to be a half-court game."

Virginia took a 35-30 lead on freshman center Donte Minter's follow with 2:31 left but didn't score for the rest of the first half. The Gophers pulled to 35-34 on Humphries' dunk with 1:04 remaining, and that was the score when the half ended.

Despite Minnesota's dominance on the boards in the first half, the Cavaliers would have led comfortably at the break had Smith and guard Todd Billet, the team's top 3-point threats coming into the season, not struggled from long range. Billet was 0 for 2 on 3-pointers and Smith 0 for 3 in the opening half.

Of the Gophers' 51 rebounds, 22 came at the offensive end. Virginia has yet to outrebound an opponent this season.

"The boards were a disaster again," Gillen said, "so we're just going to have to keep working at it. We're going to have to be more physical and more aggressive."

Minnesota and U.Va. hadn't met since the first ACC/Big Ten Challenge, in which the Gophers won 74-62 in Minneapolis on Nov. 30, 1999.
 

New look Svelton Brown looks to prove himself among nation's top players
Sean McLernon
Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

Most of the Virginia fans must have been confused last night. Virginia's starting center wore the name Brown on the back of his jersey, but he neither looked nor played like the Elton Brown of last season. He was a physical presence in the paint on both sides of the floor. He scored a team-high 26 points. He was even 6-7 from the free throw line.

Wait a minute, 6-7 shooting from the charity stripe? There's no way that was Elton Brown out there.

Well, the truth is that it wasn't Elton Brown on the floor at all. It was his alter-ego. He's tough. He's thin. And he's svelte. Svelton Brown.

Svelton is 30 pounds lighter. Svelton doesn't rely only on his fadeaway to score points. Svelton performs in the clutch.

With the score tied at 61 apiece with just over eight minutes left in the game, Svelton called for the ball. And Svelton delivered.

"I wanted the ball real bad," Brown said. "I said 'Give me the ball, they cannot stop me.' And my team gave it to me."

His teammates found the 6-foot-9 center in the paint the very next possession. He was hacked going up for a short jumper. The ball fell through the net, and Brown subsequently drained the free throw.

That three-point play launched Virginia on a run that put the game out of reach for the Golden Gophers. Three minutes later, Svelton caught an outlet pass at midcourt and drove to the basket for a layup to put the Cavaliers up by 10, 72-62.

Hustling down court and penetrating the lane on a breakaway? When has Elton Brown done that? Luckily for Virginia fans, hustle is just another part of Svelton's game.

On the following possession Brown drew another foul and sank both free throws. The next time Virginia came down the floor, the ball was in Svelton's hands again. He missed his initial shot, got his own rebound and then layed it in to give Virginia a 12-point advantage with just over two minutes remaining.

Rebounding his own shot? Who are you and what did you do with Elton Brown? And whatever you did, can you keep it like this for the rest of the season?

The truth is, Virginia's starting center is undoubtedly a changed man on the floor. Even days before the game, Brown was convinced that he was going to deliver big time for Virginia's first nationally televised game. He carried a ball with him everywhere he went, even to classes, to help him get a feel for the rock. When game time came around, he was more than ready.

"I told people I was back. My hands were back," Brown said. "My game is back. I told them, 'When it comes down to Wednesday night, I'm going to bring it.' The team was like 'We're relying on you, we really need you. This team has a big time player in Kris Humphries.'"

Svelton was matched up against the star freshman Humphries for most of the night, but Brown was still able to drain a career high in points. To Svelton, taking one of the country's top players to school wasn't anything special.

"It's nothing to me," Brown said. "I feel I'm a top player, so it's just two top players going at it. Regardless of what people might think, I really feel I'm one of the top big guys in the country."

Well, maybe everything hasn't changed. He's still got that confidence. This season, however, it seems like he comes up with the performance on the floor to back it up.

When the ACC season comes around, who will show up? Will it be the Elton of old or the new and improved Svelton? The answer could very well determine the success of Virginia's season.