/
.
Cavaliers Fall To Terrapins In Regular Season Finale, 71-70
Story Links
March 5, 2006
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) – Maryland’s Mike Jones made a 3-pointer with 1:11 remaining and J.R Reynolds missed a 3-pointer that would have won it for Virginia at the buzzer Sunday as the Terrapins won the final game at University Hall, 71-70.
Maryland (18-11, 8-8 Atlantic Coast Conference) got a needed victory and will head into next week’s conference tournament as the No. 6 seed, one better than Virginia.
The Cavaliers (14-13, 7-9), coming off consecutive blowout road losses, made a huge rally, but failed to win in the final game in 41 seasons at University Hall. The men’s and women’s programs will move to the $129.8 million John Paul Jones Arena next year.
Nick Caner-Medley led Maryland with 16 points and, more importantly, made all 12 of his free throws on a day when the rest of the Terps were just 5-for-14 at the line.
Caner-Medley made four of them in the final 3:11, each time allowing the Terps to pull back to even moments after Virginia had taken its first lead of the half.
Then Jones calmly pulled up to the left of the key, let fly with the go-ahead shot and the Cavaliers were unable to find one more comeback. Sean Singletary had a shot blocked by James Gist, then failed to inbound the ball, drawing a 5-second violation.
After Maryland’s D.J. Strawberry was called for a charge at the other end, the Cavaliers inbounded the ball with 22 seconds to play, worked the ball to Reynolds and he took a contested 3-point from right of the key, but the ball missed badly.
Reynolds led Virginia with 30 points.
Ekene Ebekwe and Jones each added 13 for the Terrapins.
The Cavaliers trailed most of the way, but took their first lead of the second half at 66-64 on Singletary’s fallaway 15-footer with 3:53 to play. Caner-Medley made a pair of free throws before Reynolds scored on a drive, and Caner-Medley made two again.
After two free throws by Reynolds with 2:09 left, Jones hit the last basket.
Reynolds took control with Singletary on the bench with four fouls in the second half. He scored 12 points during a 30-12 run that lasted more than nine minutes, turning a 50-32 runaway for Maryland into a 62-all deadlock with six minutes to play.
Maryland led 36-27 at halftime and opened the second half with a 14-5 run.