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Cavaliers Run Past Wolfpack On Singletary's Last Second Basket
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Feb. 5, 2005
By AARON BEARD
AP Sports Writer
RALEIGH, N.C. – Sean Singletary rebounded his own miss and scored with 2.2 seconds left Saturday night to lift Virginia past North Carolina State 64-62.
Singletary finished with 11 points and two key buckets late for the Cavaliers (11-9, 2-7 Atlantic Coast Conference), who blew a 14-point lead midway through the second half but still held on for their first win here since 1997.
T.J. Bannister and Devin Smith each scored 14 points to lead Virginia.
Tony Bethel scored 20 points to lead the Wolfpack (13-9, 3-6), which has lost eight of 11 games.
With the game tied at 62 in the final seconds, Singletary drove into the lane and missed a runner. But the 6-foot guard managed to grab the loose ball and lay it up for the two-point lead.
The clock stopped with 1.7 seconds left, but officials reviewed video footage and changed the time to 2.2 seconds.
That set up an unusual final sequence in which the Wolfpack essentially got two chances to tie the game.
On the first, freshman Andrew Brackman’s fullcourt pass was tipped as it got to Engin Atsur. But the horn sounded a split-second after the ball was touched, apparently because the clock was started too quickly.
The officials restored the 2.2 seconds, giving the Wolfpack one more chance. But forward Jason Cain intercepted Brackman’s second heave to seal the win.
Singletary also hit a runner in the lane over the 6-9 Simmons for a 62-61 lead with 1:11 to play. Simmons had a chance to put the Wolfpack ahead, but hit just 1 of 2 free throws with 16.3 seconds left.
Virginia shot 47 percent and took a 33-22 rebounding advantage. N.C. State shot just 40 percent – including 5-for-20 from 3-point range – and got just six points from Julius Hodge, the reigning ACC player of the year.
Virginia pulled out several surprises in the first half. The Cavaliers benched tri-captain and second-leading scorer Elton Brown for the first time this season and used a spread offense that slowed the game down and created dribble penetration opportunities.
The Cavaliers soon found themselves getting plenty of open looks, using a 14-3 run spanning halftime that gave them a 37-23 lead less than a minute after the break.
The Wolfpack fought back, pushing the ball inside and playing better defense to close that gap. N.C. State scored 12 straight points midway through the half, with Brackman – who repeatedly went to the line by drawing fouls in the paint – hitting two free throws for a 46-45 lead.
Bethel, who assisted on a 3 from Atsur, closed the run with a transition layup and a 48-45 lead with 9:25 left.