Streaking Men's Basketball Squad Set To Host Florida State

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Jan. 25, 2000

Virginia (13-5/3-2) vs. Florida State (8-8/3-2)
January 26, 2000 * 9:00 p.m.
University Hall
Charlottesville, Va.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia is currently 13-5 overall and 3-2 in the ACC. The Cavaliers havewon their last three games and are coming off a 71-66 overtime victory overVirginia Tech at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Va. (Jan. 24). Priorto beating Virginia Tech, UVa defeated then 21st-ranked North Carolina87-85 at U-Hall (Jan. 18). Florida State stands at 8-8 overall and 3-2 inthe ACC. The Seminoles are coming off a 76-71 victory at North Carolina(Jan. 22).

Television: Tonight’s game against Florida State is scheduled to betelevised by the Raycom/Jefferson-Pilot ACC network. Tim Brant willhandle the play-by-play. Bucky Waters is the analyst.

Radio: All UVa games are heard on the Virginia Sports Network originatingat WINA/WQMZ in Charlottesville. Mac McDonald calls the play by play. JimHobgood provides the analysis.

The Series vs. Florida State
Virginia holds a slim 9-7 lead in the series with Florida State,but has lost three of the past four games. The Cavaliers stopped athree-game slide against Florida State with a 67-60 victory in Tallahasseeon January 30, 1999 at the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center. TheSeminoles defeated UVa 72-69 at U-Hall in last season’s ACC opener for bothteams on December 1, 1998.

In the 1997-98 season, Florida State swept the season series fromthe Cavaliers, marking the Seminoles’ first season sweep against Virginia.

Virginia is 4-4 versus Florida State at University Hall, but haslost three of the last four home contests to the Seminoles. (The Cavaliersare 5-3 against FSU at the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center. FloridaState is the only ACC school against which the Cavaliers have a winningroad record).

Overall in the series, six of Virginia’s wins over the Seminoleshave been by nine points or less, while three of its losses have been by 15or more points. In addition, three of Florida State’s last four wins havebeen by fewer than nine points.

Equalling Best Start
With its 13-5 record this season, Virginia has equalled its beststart since the 1992-93 season when it was also 13-5 after 18 games. The1992-93 team started out the season with a 16-5 record and did not sufferits sixth loss until the 22nd game of the season.

The last time the Cavaliers had less than five losses after thefirst 18 games was in 1990-91 when UVa began the season with 17 wins in itsfirst 21 games.

Win Would Equal Victory Total From Last Season
With a win in tonight’s game against Florida State, Virginia wouldequal its number of overall and Atlantic Coast Conference wins from lastseason. The Cavaliers were 14-16 overall and 4-12 in the ACC in the1998-99 season. UVa is 13-5 overall and 3-2 in the ACC this season.

300 Wins
Virginia head coach Pete Gillen won the 300th game of his careerwhen Virginia defeated then 21st-ranked North Carolina 87-85 on January 18at University Hall. Gillen entered the 1999-2000 season 24th on thewinningest active coaches list. He is in his 15th season as a collegiatehead coach and sports a 301-149 record for a .669 winning percentage.Gillen is in his second year as head coach at Virginia. His two Virginiateams have compiled an overall record of 27-21.

10-3 vs. Non-Conference Teams
With its 71-66 overtime win over Virginia Tech (Jan. 24), Virginiaconcluded regular season non-conference play with a 10-3 record. TheCavaliers won their last six non-conference games this season. UVa wasalso 4-0 vs. in-state opponents and stretched its winning streak to10-consecutive games against in-state schools. UVa’s most recent in-stateloss was a 69-64 setback to Liberty in U-Hall in the 1997-98 season.In their 10 non-conference wins, the Cavaliers were able to get out andrun, putting on some very impressive offensive performances. In the 10wins, UVa averaged 86.8 points per game and shot 50.4 percent from thefield (309-613). Virginia also out-rebounded its opponents by nearly fiverebounds per game (40.0-35.2). In the three non-conference losses,Virginia averaged only 65.3 points per game. The Cavaliers shot only 42.0percent (71-169) from the field in the three losses. UVa was alsoout-rebounded by six per game (40-34) in those three games.

Scoring Off the Bench
Much of Virginia’s improvement in the 1999-2000 season over lastyear can be attributable to being able to substitute scholarship playersoff the bench.

Last season, UVa averaged 12.4 points of bench scoring per gamecompared to 28.3 points this season. Last year, Virginia received 373points from the bench in 30 games and in 18 games this year, the Cavaliershave scored 509 points off the bench.

In the 1999-2000 season, Virginia’s bench has outscored itsopponents 509-288 or 28.3 ppg. to 16.0 ppg. UVa’s bench accounts for 34.1percent of the Cavaliers’ offense, while opponent benches contribute 22.6percent of the points.

In five ACC games this season, Virginia’s bench has outscored theopposition 123-61 or 24.6 ppg. to 12.2 ppg. The Cavalier bench isresponsible for 28.6 percent of the offense as opposed to 14.7 percent byopponents. In its first ACC win, Virginia’s bench outscored Georgia Tech’s22-3. Another great example of the importance of UVa’s bench is that inits 98-91 win over Clemson (Jan. 15), the Cavaliers’ final 14 points of thefirst half were scored by players off the bench. The bench turned a 36-27lead with 5:54 to play into a 50-32 halftime advantage. For the game,Virginia’s bench outscored Clemson’s 35-9.

UVa has scored at least 20 points off the bench in all but threegames. Against both St. John’s (Dec. 4) and Richmond (Dec. 21) theCavalier bench scored 16 points. UVa received 17 bench points against N.C.State (Jan. 12). The high water mark for bench scoring in 1999-2000 is 47points against Elon (Nov. 19).

Only once has the UVa bench been outscored by an opponent’s thisseason and that was by Richmond as the Spiders tallied 22 points comparedto Virginia’s 16.

Lucky 13
The Cavaliers set a season high by making 13 three-point fieldgoals in 23 attempts in their 83-65 victory over Georgia Tech (Jan. 8).UVa’s percentage of three-pointers made (56.5 percent) is also a seasonhigh. The 13 threes ties for the sixth most ever made in a game by theCavaliers. Virginia also made 13 three-pointers against Elon (11/28/98)and Loyola (12/30/98).

The 13 of 23 three-point performance by Virginia is its highestpercentage of three-pointers made in a game when attempting at least 20three-point field goals. UVa has attempted 20 or more three-pointers in agame 101 times over the years.

The Virginia school record for threes in a game is 15, accomplishedagainst North Carolina (2/14/90) and Hampton (11/25/98).

UVa made 12 three-point field goals against Clemson (Jan. 15).Twice this season the Cavaliers made 11 threes in a game. UVa made 11three-pointers against Loyola (Dec. 8) and Belmont (Dec. 28).

Truly Halves
The Cavaliers’ scoring is nearly equal in the first and second halfof games this season. Virginia has scored 737 points in the first half ofgames this season while scoring 735 points in the second half.

The scoring by halves is also equal in respect to wins and lossesas well. In its 13 wins, UVa has tallied 564 points in the first half ascompared to 561 in the second stanza. In their five losses, the Cavaliershave scored 173 points in the first half and 174 points in the second half.

Virginia has also scored 11 points in each of its two overtimesessions.

Among the NCAA Statistical Leaders
Virginia is ranked among the NCAA leaders as a team in scoringoffense, while sophomore forward Chris Williams is ranked individually infield goal percentage. The NCAA statistics reflect games played throughJanuary 24.

The Cavaliers are 11th in scoring offense with an average of 83.0points per game.

Individually, Williams is 13th in the nation in field goalpercentage at 59.1 percent (107-181). Last week he was ranked 19th at 57.8percent (94-160).

School Record for Three-pointers Attempted
Virginia set a school record when it attempted 38 three-point fieldgoals against Clemson (Jan. 15). The Cavaliers were successful on 12 oftheir 38 threes against the Tigers. The former mark was 32 threes againstNorth Carolina on two occasions (February 14, 1990 and March 7, 1997).

Taking Care of the Basketball
In its last two ACC games (both wins), Virginia has turned the ballover just 15 times, including a season-low tying seven turnovers in a 98-91win at Clemson (Jan. 15). The Cavaliers had seven turnovers at Minnesota(11/30). Virginia is averaging 13.6 turnovers per game in ACC play, whileits opponents are averaging 19.6 per game.

In their last outing against Virginia Tech (a 71-66 OT win), theCavaliers turned the ball over 19 times.

Winning Streak Halted at Five
The Virginia men’s basketball team’s five-game winning streak wassnapped by Duke in a 109-100 overtime loss (Jan. 5). The five-game winningstreak was the Cavaliers’ longest since winning seven consecutive games inthe middle of the 1994-95 season.

UVa is currently on a three-game winning streak and has won nine ofits last 11 games.

Five Consecutive Home Wins
Virginia’s loss to Duke (Jan. 5) snapped UVa’s five-game homewinning streak. The streak was the longest to start a home season sincethe 1992-93 season when the Cavaliers won eight straight home games. Virginia is 7-1 at home this season.

Most Points By an Opposing Player
In the Cavaliers’ 98-91 victory at Clemson (Jan. 15), the Tigers’Will Solomon scored 43 points. Solomon’s performance tied for the fourthmost points ever scored by an opposing player against UVa. It was also themost points scored by an opponent since Bimbo Coles of Virginia Tech scored43 on January 25, 1989. Here’s a list of the top six scoring performancesagainst Virginia.

	1.	Len Chappell	Wake Forest	50	2/12/62
	2.	Dickie Hemric	Wake Forest	49	12/11/54
	3.	Grady Wallace	South Carolina	44	2/15/57
	4.	Reggie King	Alabama	43	3/12/79
	4.	Bimbo Coles	Virginia Tech	43	1/25/89
	4.	Will Solomon	Clemson	43	1/15/00

Three Players Score 20 Points vs. Duke
In the Cavaliers’ 109-100 overtime loss to Duke (Jan. 5), UVa hadthree players score 20 or more points. Sophomore Chris Williams led theway with 27, while freshman Roger Mason tallied a career-high 22 points.Junior Donald Hand rounded out the trio with 20 points. It marked thefirst time since the 1994-95 season that Virginia had three players score20 or more points in the same game.

Oddly enough, the previous occasion that three UVa playerssurpassed the 20-point plateau was against Duke in a 91-88 overtime victoryin Durham on January 14, 1995. Junior Burrough (23), Cory Alexander (22)and Harold Deane (22) were the three players that combined to accomplishthe feat.

Two Teams Reach Triple Digits
When Virginia (100) and Duke (109) reached triple digits on January5, it marked the first home contest in the history of Virginia men’sbasketball that both teams scored 100 or more points in the same game.

Virginia’s 128-98 home victory over George Mason in the 1994-95season was the closest both teams had come to scoring 100-plus points inthe same game.

The 100-point output by UVa against Duke was also the first time ithas scored 100 or more points in an ACC game since a 100-82 triumph overClemson in the 1992-93 season.

Watson Adds Name to Record Book
With 16 rebounds against Duke (Jan. 5), freshman Travis Watson seta Virginia record for the most rebounds by a freshman in an ACC debut. Therebounding performance was also the best by a UVa freshman since RalphSampson set the single game school record for rebounds by a freshman with22 against Old Dominion (12/29/79). In addition, Watson’s 16 rebounds arethe most in a game by a Virginia player since Norman Nolan grabbed 16against George Mason (11/22/97).

3-2 start in the ACC
The Cavaliers are 3-2 in the ACC and it marks their best start inconference play since the 1994-95 season when they began the conferenceslate with five wins in the first six contests.

Forcing Turnovers
The Cavaliers have forced their opponents into 20 or more turnoversin seven of the last 11 games, and in 12 of 18 games this season. VirginiaTech (19), Duke (16), Dartmouth (13), N.C. State (12), Minnesota (11) andSt. John’s (9) are the only teams that turned the ball over less than 20times against Virginia this season. The Cavaliers are 11-1 when opponentsturn the ball over 20 or more times in a game. UVa’s opponents areaveraging 20.4 turnovers per game (367 in 18 games) in 1999-2000. In ACCplay, the opposition has averaged 19.6 turnovers per game (98 in fivegames).

Warming Up From Long Range
In its last 11 games, Virginia has heated up from three-pointrange, as it has made 95 three-point field goals in 250 attempts for 38.0percent. The percentage of three-pointers made has improved dramatically,especially when you consider what the Cavaliers were shooting beyond thearc in the first seven games (26.6 percent, 33-124). In the first sevengames, UVa made 4.7 threes per game, compared to 8.6 per outing in the last11 contests.

Overall, UVa is shooting 34.2 percent (128-374) from three-pointrange. The Cavaliers have made 10 or more three-point field goals in agame five times this season. Virginia made a season-high 13 three-pointfield goals against Georgia Tech (Jan. 8).

Eleven different players have made three-pointers this season.

School Record Pace for Steals
The Cavaliers are averaging 9.3 steals per game (total of 168) inthe 1999-2000 season and at that pace, UVa would set a school record forsteals. Last year, Virginia posted an all-time best 257 steals for anaverage of 8.6 per game. At their current rate, the Cavaliers wouldconclude this season with a school record 279 steals (based on 30 games).

On five different occasions this season, Virginia has registered 15steals in a game, which ties for 11th place on UVa’s single game stealslist.

Changes in Virginia’s Starting Lineup
Virginia head coach Pete Gillen has used eight different startinglineups and has had a total of 10 different players start in the first 18games of the Cavaliers’ 1999-2000 season. Virginia is 6-2 in games thisseason with new starting lineups. No player has started every game for theCavaliers this season.

The Cavaliers opened the season with junior Stephane Dondon andsophomore Chris Williams at forward, and junior Colin Ducharme at center.Junior Donald Hand and sophomore Adam Hall started in the backcourt. In thesecond game, a 98-57 triumph over VMI, Gillen started freshman TravisWatson at center instead of Ducharme. With the same starting lineup in thethird game of the season against South Carolina, the Cavaliers suffered a73-71 setback.

Gillen changed his starting lineup against Providence and itresulted in an 80-64 victory. Hall, Williams and Watson remained in thestarting lineup, but junior guard Keith Friel and freshman guard MajesticMapp started in place of Hand and Dondon. The Cavaliers used their fourthdifferent starting combination against Arizona State (Hall, Williams,Watson, Mapp and Hand) and came away with a 70-64 victory.

In a 74-62 loss at Minnesota in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge onNovember 30, Virginia started senior Willie Dersch, Ducharme, Hall, Handand Watson. UVa started its sixth different lineup against St. John’s (Dec.4) when freshman Roger Mason, Hall, Hand, Watson and Williams were in thestarting lineup.

Gillen used his seventh different starting lineup in a 98-67 winover Loyola (Dec. 8). Dersch and Williams started at forward with Watson atcenter. At the two guard positions, Hand and Hall received the startingnod. That lineup started eight consecutive games.

Against Clemson (Jan. 15), Gillen used his eighth differentstarting lineup. UVa’s lineup against the Tigers included Dersch,Williams, Watson, Hand and Mason.

For the North Carolina (Jan. 18) and Virginia Tech (Jan. 24) games,Gillen used the lineup of Dersch, Williams, Watson, Hand and Hall for the10th time in the last 11 games.

Shooting Well
The Cavaliers are shooting 47.4 percent (529-1115) from the fieldin the 1999-2000 season. If you subtract UVa’s three-point field goalshooting (34.2 percent, 128-374), the Cavaliers are hitting an outstanding54.1 percent (401-741) from the floor.

Virginia is second in the ACC in field goal percentage throughgames played January 24, trailing only North Carolina (51.0 percent).

Virginia has shot 50 percent or better from the field in five of 18games this season, including four of the last 11 contests. UVa has shot 45percent or better in all but five games – Minnesota (36.4 percent, 24-66),N.C. State (17-41, 41.5 percent), Clemson (41.7 percent, 30-72), Richmond(42.6 percent, 23-54), and Virginia Tech (43.1 percent, 25-58).Cavaliers Set Season Highs Against Dartmouth

Virginia set season highs in three categories in its 89-50 win overDartmouth (Jan. 2). The Cavaliers shot an impressive 60.3 percent (35-58)from the field. The percentage is the highest since UVa shot 60.5 percent(23-38) against Wake Forest on February 24, 1996. Virginia’s previousseason high in 1999-2000 was 54.3 percent (38-70) vs. Hampton (Dec. 10).

The Cavaliers connected on 10 of 20 three-point attempts for aneven 50 percent against the Big Green to establish another season high.UVa has since topped that three-point percentage with an outstanding 56.5percent (13-23) performance against Georgia Tech (Jan. 8).

UVa blocked nine shots against Dartmouth for another season high.The former season best was eight blocks against VMI (Nov. 21). The nineblocked shots ties for the 14th best single game total in school history.

Season Lows
The Cavaliers set season lows in several statistical categories intheir 65-62 loss at N.C. State (Jan. 12). UVa’s 17 field goals made and 41attempted are both season lows. The previous season low for both fieldsgoals made and attempted was against South Carolina (Nov. 25) when UVa was23 for 50 from the field. Virginia did not block a shot in the N.C. Stategame to set another season low. The last time UVa failed to block a shotin a game was against Florida State (2/4/98). The Cavaliers 62 pointsequaled their season low, which first occurred against Minnesota (Nov. 30).

Williams Named ACC Player of the Week
Sophomore forward Chris Williams was the ACC Player of the Week forhis performance in Virginia’s victories over Belmont (Dec. 28) andDartmouth (Jan .2). Williams scored 44 points, grabbed nine rebounds andshot 70.4 percent (19-27) from the field in the two games.

Williams has broken out of an early season scoring slump and isaveraging 17.4 points per game over the last 12 games (209 points). Duringthe 12-game stretch, Williams is shooting 62.0 percent (80-129) from thefloor. He has made 36 of 52 free throws (69.2 percent) in the last 12games. Williams, the 1998-99 ACC Rookie of the Year, is also averaging 5.3rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.6 steals a game during the recent stretch.

After going six games without making a three-point field goal(0-9), Williams has made 11 of 20 attempts (55.0 percent) from beyond thearc in the last five contests. Overall, he is 17-49 (34.7 percent) fromthree-point range.

Williams has scored in double figures in 10 consecutive games andin 13 of his last 14.

On the season, Williams is second on the team in scoring at 15.5points per game (9th in the ACC) and is shooting a team-high 59.1 percentfrom the floor (2nd in the ACC). He also leads the team in steals (30 -9th in the ACC) and is second in rebounding (5.4 rpg.). As a freshman in 1998-99, Williams averaged 16.8 points and 7.5

rebounds per game.

Leading Rebounder
Freshman forward/center Travis Watson came to Virginia with thereputation as a great rebounder and has lived up to that billing so far in1999-2000. Watson has led the team in rebounding in 13 of 18 games thisseason, including 10 of the last 13. He is averaging a team best 9.0rebounds per game (2nd in the ACC in overall games and third in ACCcontests) both overall and in ACC play. He has been in double figures inrebounds six times. Watson grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds in the ACCopener against Duke (Jan. 5).

In addition to leading the team in rebounding, Watson is also topson the club in blocked shots with 25 (7th in the ACC), which includes acareer-high five blocks against Dartmouth (Jan. 2). He is third on theteam in scoring at 11.3 points per game, steals with 22 and in field goalpercentage at 54.1 percent (80-148). He has led the team in scoring twice,and has five double-doubles in points and rebounds.

Hand”ing” Out Assists
Junior guard Donald Hand has moved into ninth place on Virginia’sall-time assist list with 308 in his career. Cornel Parker (1991-94) iseighth with 313. John Crotty (1988-91) holds the all-time UVa assistrecord with 683.

Hand leads the Cavaliers with 86 assists (4.8 apg.) this season(5th in the ACC), including 64 in his last 11 games (5.8 apg.).

In addition to leading the team in assists, Hand also tops the teamin scoring at 15.7 points per game (8th in the ACC). He leads the teamwith 33 three-point field goals (tied for 5th in the ACC) and is shooting35.9 percent from three-point range (8th in the ACC). Hand is alsoshooting 74.5 percent (79-106) from the free throw line (8th in the ACC).He has one double-double in points and assists to his credit.

Last season, Hand led the Cavaliers in scoring at 17.1 points pergame and also averaged 4.1 assists per game.

Hot Hand
Junior guard Donald Hand truly has had a hot hand over the lasteight games. During the last eight contests, Hand has averaged 17.9 pointsper game (143 points), including a season high 27-point performance againstGeorgia Tech (Jan. 8). He is shooting 41.6 percent (42-101) from the fieldin the last eight games, including 40.0 percent (18-45) from three-pointrange. Hand is also pulling down 3.4 rebounds per game, and totaled 38assists and 11 steals in the last eight games.

In the past five games, Hand has converted 36 of 44 free throws foran impressive 81.8 percent.

Double-Double for Hand
Junior guard Donald Hand registered his first double-double of theseason and the third of his career against Hampton (Dec. 10) with 15 pointsand 11 assists. Hand’s 11 assists established a new career high. Hisformer career high was nine assists against Duke (Jan. 24, 1998). It isHand’s first double-double in points and assists. His first twodouble-doubles came last season against Wake Forest (Feb. 3) – 25 points,11 rebounds, and Georgia Tech (Feb. 25) – 28 points, 13 rebounds.

Friel Finds the Range
In the last eight games, junior guard Keith Friel has made 16 ofhis 36 three-point field goal attempts (44.4 percent). His best twooutings came against Belmont (Dec. 28) when he made four of eight attempts,and versus Dartmouth (Jan. 2) when he drilled four of five three-pointtries.

Prior to the last eight games, Friel had connected on 11 of 32three-point attempts (34.4 percent).

On the season, Friel is 27 for 68 (39.7 percent) from beyond thethree-point arc (3rd in the ACC). Twenty-seven of his 30 field goals arethree-pointers.

In two seasons at Notre Dame, Friel shot 39.7 percent (60-151) fromthree-point range, including 46.4 percent (45-97) his last season (1997-98).

Mapp Sets Career High
Freshman guard Majestic Mapp established a new career high byscoring 12 points in the Cavaliers’ 98-91 victory over Clemson (Jan. 15).He made three of eight attempts from the field (2-7 on threes) andconverted all four free throws. Mapp also tallied three assists and twosteals with no turnovers in 22 minutes of playing time against the Tigers.

Mapp’s previous career-best was 10 points against Elon (Nov. 19)and VMI (Nov. 21) in the first two games of his collegiate career.

Hall’s Scoring Runs Hot and Cold
Sophomore guard Adam Hall’s scoring has run in streaks all seasonlong. In the early portion of the season, Hall reached double figures inscoring only twice in the first seven games.

Hall broke out of his slump with 18, 15 and 23-point outingsagainst Loyola (Dec. 8), Hampton (Dec. 10) and Richmond (Dec. 23),respectively. After failing to reach double digits in the next threegames, Hall has scored in double figures in three of his last four contests.

Despite the inconsistent scoring, Hall has shot very well from thefield in his last 10 games. He has shot an impressive 59.0 percent fromthe field (46-78). He has also made 11 of his last 27 three-point attempts(40.7 percent) after starting the season one for 11 (9.1 percent).

On the season, Hall is shooting 55.0 percent (66-120) from thefield, but is struggling at the free throw line having made 27 of 52attempts (51.9 percent). However, in his last three games, Hall has madeseven of eight attempts from the free throw line.

Mason’s First Three-Pointer a Big One
Freshman guard Roger Mason’s first three-point field goal forVirginia couldn’t have come at a better time. Mason’s first three-pointfield goal of his collegiate career came with 3:21 remaining to play in theCavaliers’ game at the University of Richmond (Dec. 21) and broke a59-59 tie. The three-pointer gave UVa a lead it would not surrender in thegame’s closing moments as Virginia defeated the Spiders 69-65. It was theonly three-point attempt of the game for Mason, who missed his first 10three-point attempts this season.

Mason Named ACC Rookie of the Week
Guard Roger Mason turned in a pair of terrific performance in UVa’sACC games against Duke (Jan. 5) and Georgia Tech (Jan. 8) and was named theACC Rookie of the Week.

In his ACC debut against Duke, Mason scored a career-high 22 pointson nine of 12 shooting from the field (75.0 percent), including a perfectthree for three effort from three-point range. He also made his lone freethrow, grabbed three rebounds, and had two steals while playing 28 minuteswith no turnovers.

Against Georgia Tech, Mason scored 14 points on three of fiveshooting from the floor. He made all three of his three-point field goalattempts and was a perfect five for five from the free throw line. He alsoadded two rebounds and one assist.

In five ACC games, Mason is averaging 10.8 points per game and isshooting 44.4 percent (16-36) from the field. He has made eight of 14three-point attempts (57.1 percent) and is 14 for 15 (93.3 percent) fromthe free throw line. He has 12 rebounds, eight assists and seven steals tohis credit while committing six turnovers in 112 minutes of playing time.

Mason made a pair of clutch baskets in UVa’s 71-66 overtime winover Virginia Tech (Jan. 24). He scored nine of his 13 points in thesecond half. With the Hokies on a 13-0 run that gave them a 54-53 lead,Mason drained a three-pointer as the shot clock was about to expire. Thatbasket gave the Cavaliers a 56-54 lead with 4:24 to play, and also broke aVirginia scoreless draught that spanned 7:21. (Mason also made the lastbasket before the draught that gave UVa a 53-41 edge with 11:45 to play).He also made an off-balance jumper with 2:33 to go that trimmed theVirginia Tech lead to two, 60-58.

Lone Senior Stepping Up
Virginia’s lone senior, guard/forward Willie Dersch, has made themost of his return to the starting lineup. Dersch has started the last 11games (UVA is 9-2) and has responded by scoring in double figures fourtimes. He is averaging 5.5 points per game in the last 11 games. Duringthat span he is shooting 48.8 percent (21-43) from the floor, including41.2 percent (7-17) from three-point range. He has also made all 12 freethrows in the last 11 games and is averaging 1.6 assists per game duringthat stretch.

On the year, Dersch is averaging 5.1 points per outing and isshooting 47.8 percent (32-67) from the floor. He is averaging 1.8 reboundsand possesses a 2.4 to 1 assist to turnover ratio.

Hare Sets Career High
Junior guard Josh Hare scored a career-high 10 points in theCavaliers’ 102-56 win over Hampton (Dec. 10). He made four of eightattempts from the floor (1-4 on three-pointers) and one of two free throws.The field goals attempted and made are career bests as well. He also addedfour rebounds.

Freshmen Making Significant Contribution
Three freshmen are playing significant minutes for Virginia duringthe 1999-2000 season. Forward/center Travis Watson, and guards MajesticMapp and Roger Mason have each seen action in all 18 of Virginia’s games.

Watson has started 17 games for the Cavaliers and is the team’sleading rebounder (9.0 rpg.) and third leading scorer (11.3 ppg.). He alsoleads the team in blocked shots (25), and is third in field goal percentageat 54.1 percent (80-148, players with at least 15 field goals attempted)and steals (22). Watson is averaging 27.4 minutes of playing time a game.

Mason is averaging 7.7 points and 2.6 rebounds a game. He isaveraging 19.7 minutes of playing time a game and has 21 steals and 21assists. He has started two games.

Mapp is averaging 5.3 points and 0.7 rebound a game while playing17.8 minutes per contest. He has started two games and is shooting 34.9percent (15-43) from three-point range. Mapp has 42 assists and 29turnovers, and also has 15 steals.

Head Coach Pete Gillen
Pete Gillen is in his 15th season as a collegiate head coach andsports a 301-149 record for a .669 winning percentage. Gillen is in hissecond year as head coach at Virginia. His two Virginia teams havecompiled an overall record of 27-21. Gillen has led his teams topostseason play 11 times (eight NCAA, three NIT). He has been selected asthe conference Coach of the Year five times – all while coaching Xavier(Midwestern Collegiate Conference).

He successfully began his coaching career at Virginia with an 86-70win over Virginia Commonwealth on November 13, 1998.

Chezley Watson Leaves Team
Junior guard Chezley Watson has left the Virginia basketball team.Watson left the team prior to the Cavaliers’ game with Georgia Tech onJanuary 8 after visiting with head coach Pete Gillen. The Gainesville, Ga.native was hampered by an ankle injury this season and played in ninegames. He averaged 1.4 points per game while playing an average of 4.4minutes per game.

Watson, a two-year letterman, started 26 of the 28 games he playedin last season. He averaged 8.3 points and 3.0 rebounds a game during the1998-99 season.

Ten Different Double Figure Scorers
In the first 18 games of the 1999-2000 season, the Cavaliers havehad 10 different players score in double figures in a game. Virginia hadonly seven players reach double figures in scoring last season. Juniorguard Josh Hare became the 10th Cavalier to score in double figures in the1999-2000 season when he tallied 10 points against Hampton (Dec. 10). Theother double figure scorers this season are: (only first double digitperformance is listed) sophomore guard Adam Hall (12 vs. VMI), junior guardDonald Hand (18 vs. Elon), freshman guard Majestic Mapp (10 vs. Elon),freshman guard Roger Mason (10 vs. Elon), freshman forward/center TravisWatson (15 vs. Elon), sophomore forward Chris Williams (16 vs. Elon),junior guard Keith Friel (14 vs. South Carolina), junior center ColinDucharme (10 vs. South Carolina), and senior forward Willie Dersch (10 vs.Arizona State).

Not so “Free” Throws
After leading the ACC in free throw percentage (.734) for the firsttime since 1979 last season, the Cavaliers struggled from the free throwline in the early portion of the 1999-2000 campaign.

Through the first 18 games of the season, UVa has shot 67.1 percent(308-459) from the free throw line. The Cavaliers have shot over 65percent from the charity stripe only 10 times this season, but haveeclipsed that mark in nine of the last 13 contests.

In ACC play, UVa’s free throw percentage has improved to 72.3percent (86-119). In five conference contests, the Cavaliers have shotbetter than 70 percent three times.

Virginia’s best performance from the free throw line was a perfecteight for eight outing against Minnesota (Nov. 30). The effort tied forthe sixth best performance in school history. UVa made all eight attemptsfrom the line vs. Wake Forest (1/26/85) and Houston (12/10/89). Prior tothe Minnesota game, the last time the Cavaliers were perfect from the freethrow line was a six for six effort against Georgia Tech (2/22/90).

Spreading the Minutes Around
True to his word, head coach Pete Gillen is going deep into hisbench in 1999-2000. After the first 18 games of the season, Virginia hasnine players averaging double figures in minutes. Only sophomore forwardChris Williams and junior guard Donald Hand are averaging 30 minutes ofplaying time per game. Williams is averaging 30.7 minutes per game, whileHand is averaging 30.3 minutes per outing.

Only two other players, freshman forward/center Travis Watson(27.4) and sophomore guard Adam Hall (25.1), are averaging more than 20minutes per contest. The other players averaging double figure minutesare: freshman guard Roger Mason (19.7), freshman guard Majestic Mapp(17.8), senior forward Willie Dersch (14.6), junior guard Keith Friel(12.2), and junior forward Stephane Dondon (11.0). Junior center ColinDucharme is averaging 7.7 minutes per game.Ducharme Seventh on Blocked Shot List

Junior center Colin Ducharme is currently in seventh place onVirginia’s all-time blocked shot list with 84. Ducharme needs three blocksto move past Olden Polynice (1984-86) into sixth place. Polynice had 86career blocks.

Ducharme is tied with current teammate Chris Williams for theninth-best single season block total with 41. Ducharme notched his 41blocks while leading the team in that category in 1996-97. Williams’ 41blocks came last year. In addition to leading the team in blocks in1996-97, Ducharme also held that honor in 1997-98 with 34.

Three Opponents Shoot 50 Percent
Earlier this season, Virginia had three consecutive opponents shoot50 percent or better. Arizona State shot exactly 50 percent (28-56) onNovember 27, Minnesota connected on 55.1 percent (27-49) from the floor onNovember 30, and St. John’s shot 55.4 percent (31-56) from the field onDecember 4.

Last year, Virginia did not have opponents shoot 50 percent orbetter in three-straight contests, however, on two occasions the oppositionshot better than 50 percent in back-to back games.

Duke (1/10) shot 60.5 percent (46-76) followed by a 58.0 percent(29-50) outing by N.C. State (1/14) for the first back-to-back 50 percentshooting performance. In the second instance, Maryland (2/6) shot 54.2percent (32-59) followed by a 58.7 percent (37-63) effort by Duke (2/11).

UVa Needs Overtime to Defeat Virginia Tech
Virginia defeated Virginia Tech 71-66 in overtime on January 24 atthe Richmond Coliseum. For the second consecutive game, the Cavaliersbuilt a 12-point lead and then had to withstand an opponent rally to earnthe victory. UVa built a 12-point lead against UNC (Jan. 18) and withstooda Tar Heel rally for an 87-85 victory.

Against Virginia Tech, junior guard Donald Hand scored a game-high21 points to lead the Cavaliers. Among his 21 points was an 11 of 13effort from the free throw line. He scored seven of Virginia’s 11 pointsin overtime with a layup and five free throws. Freshman guard Roger Masonscored 13 points with nine coming in the second half. Sophomore guard AdamHall added 12 points, while sophomore forward Chris Williams notched 11,including the last basket in regulation that tied the game at 60-60 with1:13 to play.

The Cavaliers built a 12-point lead, 53-41 with 11:45 to play, butthe Hokies went on a 13-0 run to take a 54-53 lead with 5:22 to go.Mason’s three-pointer with 4:24 to go stopped the Virginia Tech run andgave UVa a 56-54 edge. The Hokies scored the next six points to take a60-56 lead, but baskets by Mason and Williams forced overtime.

Virginia took the lead for good with 4:12 to play in overtime whenHand converted a three-point play to give UVa a 63-62 lead. After a Halllayup pushed the margin to three, 65-62, the Cavaliers sealed the win bymaking six of seven free throws down the stretch.

Guard Brendan Dunlop led Virginia Tech with 15 points, while DennisMims posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Cavaliers Beat 21st-ranked North Carolina
Virginia built a 12-point second half lead and withstood a UNCrally for an 87-85 victory over 21st-ranked North Carolina on January 18 atUniversity Hall.

Sophomore forward Chris Williams continued his outstanding playwith a team-high 24 points. Williams connected on nine of 13 field goalattempts and five of nine free throws. He also added six rebounds and fourassists. Freshman forward/center Travis Watson converted eight of 11 fieldgoal attempts and one of two free throws for 17 points. Sophomore guardAdam Hall tallied 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds, while juniorguard Donald Hand scored all 12 of his points in the second half.

The Cavaliers used a 17-4 run to turn a 10-2 deficit into a 19-14lead with 12:30 remaining in the first half. The Tar Heels rallied toeventually take a 43-38 halftime edge.

UNC held its lead until Williams converted a three-point play with13:47 left that tied the game at 53-53. Williams gave UVa the lead forgood, 56-55, with 12:41 to go when he made the first of two free throws.His free throw started a 18-6 run that gave Virginia a 73-61 advantage with6:21 to play. The Tar Heels stormed back to pull within one point, 81-80,with 1:14 left, but a three-point play by Hand and two free throws byWilliams pushed the lead back up to six points with 28 seconds remaining.

Joseph Forte led North Carolina with 27 points and 11 rebounds.

UVa Grabs ACC Road Win Over Clemson
Virginia earned its first ACC road win of the season with a 98-91victory at Clemson’s Littlejohn Coliseum on January 15. Virginia made 11of 14 free throws in the final minute of the game to seal the victory.

Junior Donald Hand and sophomore Chris Williams scored 18 pointsapiece to lead UVa. Hand made seven of eight free throws down the stretchand eight of 10 from the line in the game. He added five assists and threesteals with no turnovers. In addition to his 18 points, Williams added sixrebounds, four steals, two assists and two blocked shots. Freshman TravisWatson contributed 14 points and six rebounds, while freshman Majestic Mappcame off the bench to chip in a career-high 12 points. He also made fourkey free throws in the final minute, and added three assists and twosteals.

Virginia’s bench accounted for UVa’s final 14 points of the firsthalf as the Cavaliers increased their lead from nine points, 36-27 with5:54 to play, to 50-32 at the break. Early in the second half, Virginiaopened up a 22-point lead, but the Tigers battled back to close within fourpoints, 89-85, with 50 seconds left in the game.

Clemson was able to battle back thanks to a 43-point effort fromguard Will Solomon.

Virginia Falls to Wolfpack
The Cavaliers’ comeback fell just short in a 65-62 loss to N.C.State on January 12 in Raleigh, N.C. A three-pointer by sophomore ChrisWilliams tied the game at 61-61 with 2:25 left, but the Wolfpack held UVato one point, while scoring four, in the final two minutes to seal the win.

Virginia trailed 54-45 with 7:17 left, but used a 16-7 run cappedoff by Williams’ three-pointer to tie the game at 61-61. Williams andfreshman Roger Mason each had five points in the run, while junior DonaldHand converted all four of his free throws. N.C. State took the lead forgood on a dunk by Kenny Inge with 1:34 to play.

Hand led all scorers with 17 points, while Williams added 13.Freshman Travis Watson notched his fifth double-double of the season with10 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Junior Keith Friel rounded out theCavaliers’ double digit scorers with 10 points.

Damien Wilkins paced the Wolfpack with 13 points and nine rebounds.

Second Half Surge Propels UVa past Jackets
The Cavaliers used a 21-2 run to start the second half to turn aone-point halftime deficit into an 18-point lead en route to an 83-65victory over Georgia Tech on January 8 at University Hall.

Guard Donald Hand buried three three-pointers during the secondhalf surge and finished the game with a season-high 27 points. He madefive of eight three-point attempts and added seven rebounds and fourassists. Forward Chris Williams and guard Roger Mason added 14 pointsapiece, while guard Adam Hall rounded out UVa’s double figure scorers with11 points. Williams added five assists, four rebounds and two steals inthe win. Mason continued his torrid shooting by making all three of histhree-point field goal attempts for the second consecutive game. He wasalso a perfect five for five from the free throw line.

A three-pointer by Mason with 44.8 seconds left in the first halftrimmed Virginia’s halftime deficit to one, 37-36. The Cavaliers took thelead for good with 18:29 to play when forward/center Travis Watson grabbedan offensive rebound and converted a short jumper. Three free throws byMason and a three-pointer by Hand gave UVa a 44-37 advantage with 16:57 toplay.

Forwards Jason Floyd and Jason Collier led the Yellow Jackets with21 points apiece.

Cavaliers Fall Short in Battle with Duke
Virginia had its five-game winning streak snapped with a 109-100overtime loss to Duke in the ACC opener at University Hall on January 5.

Sophomore Chris Williams led UVa with a season-high 27 points andadded eight rebounds. Freshman Roger Mason tallied a career-high 22 pointsand made nine of 12 attempts from the field, including all three of histhree-point field goal attempts. Junior Donald Hand contributed 20 points,seven rebounds and six assists, while freshman Travis Watson notched hisfourth double-double of the season with career highs of 17 points and 16rebounds.

The Cavaliers trailed much of the first half, but erased anine-point first-half deficit when junior Colin Ducharme converted a layup14 seconds before halftime that tied the game at 43-43.

In the second half, Virginia built its lead to as many as 10points, 74-64, with 7:40 to play, but Duke came back to take an 81-80 edgewith 3:29 to go. Hand sent the game into overtime with a basket with fiveseconds remaining. In the overtime session, the Blue Devils made all sixof their field goal attempts and outscored UVa 20-11 to earn the win.

Chris Carrawell led Duke with 25 points, while Mike Dunleavy cameoff the bench to score 21 points.

Cavaliers Finish Fifth in Puerto Rico Shootout
After dropping its first round game in the Puerto Rico Shootout toSouth Carolina 73-71 on November 25, UVa won its next two games to finishfifth in the tournament. The Cavaliers defeated Providence 80-64 onNovember 26, and then posted a 70-64 victory over Arizona State in thefifth place game on November 27.

Junior guard Donald Hand was named to the All-Tournament team afteraveraging 19.3 points in the three contests. He was 20 of 28 (71.4percent) from the free throw line, including a 14 of 17 effort againstProvidence. Hand scored 26 points in the win over PC.

Watson Perfect From Field
Freshman forward/center Travis Watson was a perfect six-for-sixfrom the field against South Carolina on November 25 to tie for Virginia’sfifth best perfect shooting game from the field of all time. It is the11th time that a player has made all six attempts from the field. Prior toWatson, the last UVa player to make every attempt (minimum of five) fromthe floor was Kenny Turner, who tied the school record with a nine-for-nineeffort against Samford on 11/28/89. Jeff Jones (vs. Alabama-Birmingham3/18/82) also shares the school record with Turner.

Only Two in Double Figure Scoring
The Cavaliers had only two players score in double figures in theirvictory against Providence (Nov. 26) and their loss to St. John’s (Dec. 4),marking the only times this season Virginia has not had at least threeplayers score in double figures in a game. Last season, Virginia failed tohave at least three players score in double figures four times, but onlywon one of those contests (a 65-58 win over Clemson on January 17, 1999).

No Three-Pointers
Virginia held Arizona State without a three-point field goal onNovember 27, marking the sixth time since the inception of the three-pointfield goal in the 1986-87 season that UVa has accomplished the feat.Interestingly, two of the five previous games that Virginia held opponentswithout a three-pointer came last season in a span of eight days (Loyola0-7 on 12/30/98 and Maryland 0-7 on 1/7/99)

Double-Double in Debut
Freshman forward Travis Watson became only the third freshman inVirginia history since the restoration of freshman eligibility in 1972-73to record a double-double in the first game of his career. Oddly enough,it is also the second straight year that it has happened.

Watson totaled 15 points and 14 rebounds in only 19 minutes in theseason opener against Elon on November 19. He earned his first careerstart against VMI on November 21 and totaled 16 points (7 of 9 FGs, 2-2FTs), seven rebounds, two assists, two blocked shots and two steals in 25minutes of action.

Current sophomore Chris Williams opened his UVa career with a20-point, 10-rebound “double double” against Virginia Commonwealth lastseason.

The first player to record a double double in his first game wasScott Johnson, who scored 11 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in 27 minutesin the 1995-96 season opener against Tennessee-Martin.

The performances of several notable Cavaliers in their collegedebuts are listed below.

Who?	Opp./Yr.	Pts.	Rebs.
Junior Burrough	W&M 91-92	17	6
Bryant Stith	Dartmouth 88-89	12	6
Olden Polynice	Lafayette 83-84	8	5
Ralph Sampson	Johns Hopkins 79-80	17	8
Jeff Lamp	James Madison 77-78	24	3
Marc Iavaroni	W&L 74-75	14	9
Wally Walker	WFU 72-73	7	3

Dersch and Hand Elected Captains
Senior forward Willie Dersch and junior guard Donald Hand have beenelected captains of the 1999-2000 Virginia basketball team by theirteammates. Both players served as captains of the basketball team lastseason.

In 1998-99, Dersch started 26 of the 30 games in which he playedand received the team’s Michael McCann Leadership Award. He averaged 10.2points and 2.8 rebounds a game last season. The three-year letterwinner isthe only senior on the 1999-2000 UVa team.

Hand started all 30 games last season and was the co-recipient ofthe Bill Gibson Cavalier of the Year Award as the team’s most valuableplayer. Hand led the Cavaliers in scoring (17.1 ppg), assists (123, 4.1apg.), steals (57), free throw shooting (86.2 percent, 162-188) andthree-point field goals (50). He was the top free throw shooter in theAtlantic Coast Conference last season. His 41 points in Virginia’s 82-79overtime victory over North Carolina State last February are a UVasophomore record and the most points scored by a Virginia player sinceBarry Parkhill established a school record with 51 points againstBaldwin-Wallace during the 1971-72 season.

Williams and Hall Win Silver
Sophomores Chris Williams and Adam Hall played on the USABasketball Men’s Junior World Championship Team that earned a silver medalat the 16-team 1999 FIBA Men’s Junior World Championships in Portugal inJuly. Williams, the 1998-99 ACC Rookie of the Year and All-ACC third-teampick, set a tournament record for the USA with 12 blocked shots during thecompetition. He averaged 10.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

1999-2000 ACC Pre-Season Media Prediction
(Indicates first place votes)

	Team	Points
1.	North Carolina (74)	792
2.	Duke (16)	712
3.	Wake Forest	577
4.	Maryland	481
5.	NC State	442
6.	Georgia Tech	396
7.	Virginia	358
8.	Florida State	179
9.	Clemson	113

Five Players Mentioned for ACC Pre-Season Honors
Virginia had five players receive votes for various 1999-2000Pre-Season Atlantic Coast Conference teams as selected by the mediaattending the conference’s 38th annual Operation Basketball held on October24 in Greensboro, N.C.

Headlining the UVa list is sophomore forward Chris Williams who wasselected to the pre-season All-ACC second team. Williams also receivedconsideration as the pre-season ACC Player of the Year. Last season,Williams was named the ACC Rookie of the Year and also garnered third teamaccolades. He was Virginia’s second leading scorer at 16.8 points per gameand also led the squad with 7.5 rebounds per outing.

Junior guard Donald Hand was a 1999-2000 honorable mentionpre-season All-ACC selection, having received the 13th-most votes. Handled the Cavaliers in scoring in 1998-99 with 17.1 points per game and wasan honorable mention All-ACC pick at the conclusion of the season.

Three members of Virginia’s heralded freshman class receivedconsideration as the 1999-2000 pre-season ACC Rookie of the Year. Pointguard Majestic Mapp, guard Roger Mason and forward Travis Watson were amongseven league players to receive votes for Rookie of the Year.

Ducharme Living on The Lawn
Redshirt junior Colin Ducharme was selected to live in one ofVirginia’s prestigious Lawn rooms during the 1999-2000 academic year. Heis the 15th men’s basketball player to be chosen to live on The Lawn andthe first since Matt Blundin, who played both basketball and football atVirginia, lived on The Lawn in 1992.

Ricky Stokes (1984), Ralph Sampson (1983) and Terry Gates (1980)are the other most recent basketball players to live on The Lawn.