Story Links
Feb. 6, 2004
By Raymond Robb
On February 14, 2001, a Valentine’s Day sea of orange enjoyed one of the most memorable wins of the Pete Gillen era, as 12th ranked Virginia defeated the 3rd ranked Duke Blue Devils at University Hall. Adam Hall’s game-winning lay-up with 0.9 seconds remaining gave the Cavaliers the final edge at 91-89 and secured UVa’s first win at home over Duke since the 1996 season.
Virginia started the year with successful expectations, returning four starters from the 2000 team that gained 19 wins and a tie for third place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Cavaliers began the season ranked 24th by the Associated Press and continued to climb through the rankings, remaining undefeated through the first ten games.Virginia’s notable victories included a 98-79 win over Purdue in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and a 107-89 pounding of 4th ranked Tennessee in the nationally televised Jimmy V Classic. The Cavaliers were ranked as high as 8th before losing their first game to Wake Forest. Before facing the Blue Devils, Virginia had dropped two straight conference games on the road to N.C. State and Georgia Tech, giving them a record of 16-6 (5-5 in the ACC).
Duke also started the season strong with ten consecutive victories including wins over Texas and Temple en route to the Preseason NIT Championship. The Blue Devils, consistently ranked among the nation’s top-three teams, also defeated 9th ranked Illinois in the ACC/ Big Ten Challenge. Duke suffered its first loss of the year at Stanford on a last-second shot with only 3.6 seconds remaining. Their next defeat came as North Carolina’s Brendan Haywood made two free throws with 1.2 seconds remaining in the game to hand the Blue Devils a first loss in ACC play.
Coming into the game against Virginia, Duke won ten out of their first eleven ACC games, including three straight. The Blue Devils (22-2, 10-1 in the ACC) had also won a remarkable 24 consecutive conference games on the road.
On game night, the ninth capacity-crowd in thirteen games at University Hall enjoyed a close game from start to finish. After an evenly matched first half, the Cavaliers led by four at the break at 46-42. Both teams shot well from the floor, as Virginia was good on 52.8 percent of their shots, including 3 of 8 from the three-point line. The Blue Devils shot 46.9 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from three-point range, making 7 of 14 attempts.
In the second half, Duke took a six-point lead, fueled by two three-pointers from freshman guard Chris Duhon, a three-pointer from sophomore Jason Williams and a basket by Nate James. With just under fourteen minutes remaining, the Blue Devils led 61-55.
The Cavaliers responded with an 11-2 run of their own, including nine straight points, to regain a 73-68 advantage. However, Duke’s Mike Dunleavy connected for three of his five total points and Duhon followed with another one of his five second half threes as the Blue Devils fought back. Despite only making 14 of 30 three-pointers in the game, Duke led 75-73 with just over seven minutes remaining.
In a back and forth second half featuring numerous lead changes, guard Roger Mason, Jr. put Virginia ahead for good 81-80, nailing a three-pointer with more than four minutes left. In the following minutes, neither team was able to pull away and with just over one minute remaining, Duke trailed by three points, 89-86, as Jason Williams stood at the foul line. Williams converted only one of two shots and Virginia held the lead at two.
Cavalier forward Chris Williams missed a jump shot on Virginia’s next possession and the Blue Devils had an opportunity to tie or take the lead. When Adam Hall fouled Shane Battier with 14.3 seconds left on the clock, Battier promptly sank two free throws and knotted the score at 89.
After the inbounds pass, Roger Mason, Jr. held the ball at the top of the key for the final shot. As the clock ticked, Mason, Jr. made a move to the basket, found Hall left alone, and got him the ball with just enough time for the lay-in. The basket gave Virginia a 91-89 victory and University Hall exploded into a stream of orange-clad fans storming the court at the final buzzer.
Chris Williams led Virginia with 21 points and 12 rebounds, while Mason, Jr. added 20 and Hall 17. In all, the Cavaliers shot 54 percent from the field in the game and made 9 of 12 free throws in the second period. Virginia also held a sizeable 41-25 rebounding advantage over the Blue Devils. The 2000-01 Cavaliers finished the season with a record of 20-9 (9-7 in the ACC), defeating six teams ranked in the top-25 and advancing to the NCAA tournament.