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Virginia Hosts NC State At JPJA On Sunday
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CHARLOTTESVILLEThe Virginia men’s basketball team returns to John Paul Jones Arena on Sunday (Feb. 24) looking for its second consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference victory when the Cavaliers host NC State. The game is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. and will be televised by Fox Sports Net.
The game will also be on V Pass Live Audio at virginiasports.com.
Virginia’s game at Georgia Tech on Thursday (Feb. 21) was postponed because of a leak in the roof of Alexander Memorial Coliseum with it raining in Atlanta. The game has been rescheduled for March 3 at 7 p.m. at Georgia Tech.
The Cavaliers’ last game was a 79-74 victory at Boston College on Feb. 17 that broke a seven-game losing streak. Virginia enters Sunday’s game with an overall record of 12-12 and a 2-9 record in the ACC.
UVa had four players in double figures in the victory at Boston College. Junior forward/guard Mamadi Diane came off the bench to score a team-leading 20 points. Senior guard Sean Singletary scored 16 points, had five rebounds and four assists, and junior forward Laurynas Mikalauskas scored a season-high 13 points. Freshman forward Mike Scott had his second double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Virginia overcame an early 10-point deficit to lead by eight points (40-32) at halftime. After Boston College rallied to tie the game at 40-40 early in the second half, a 13-3 run by the Cavaliers gave UVa the lead for good. Boston College narrowed Virginia’s lead to one point (71-70) with 1:10 remaining in the game. Diane then made a key three-pointer to give the Cavaliers a four-point lead and sophomore guard Calvin Baker made four free throws in the last 13 seconds to secure the victory.
Mikalauskas’ play gave the Cavaliers a lift and his 13 points are a career-high against an ACC opponent. Diane scored at least 20 points for the fifth time this season.
Singletary scored in double figures for the 46th consecutive game. That’s the longest active streak in the ACC. He continues to lead Virginia in scoring (18.8 ppg.) and assists (5.9 apg.). He ranks third in the ACC in scoring and second in assists.
Diane and senior forward Adrian Joseph are the other Virginia players averaging in double figures in scoring. Diane is averaging 12.0 points a game and Joseph 11.3 points a game. Joseph leads the Cavaliers in rebounding with an average of 6.9 rebounds a game.
NC State enters Sunday’s game with an overall record of 15-11 and a 4-8 record in the ACC. NC State has lost its last four games and is coming off an 84-70 home loss to North Carolina on Wednesday.
Freshman center J.J. Hickson leads NC State in scoring and rebounding with averages of 15.2 points and 8.7 rebounds a game. Senior forward Gavin Grant is averaging 14.3 points a game and junior guard Courtney Fells averages 11.2 points a game.
Sidney Lowe is in his second season as the head coach at NC State and his Wolfpack teams have compiled an overall record of 35-27.
NC State leads the series with Virginia 79-53, but the Cavaliers lead 32-23 in games played in Charlottesville. Sunday’s game is the only time the teams are scheduled to meet during the 2007-08 regular season.