Virginia Wins 2019 National Championship
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – 1-seed Virginia (35-3) became the 2019 NCAA Champion with an 85-77 overtime win over 3-seed Texas Tech (31-7) on Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Sophomore De’Andre Hunter (Philadelphia, Pa.) hit a 3-pointer with 14 seconds to go to tie the game and eventually send it to overtime. The Cavaliers outscored the Red Raiders 17-9 in the overtime period.
Hunter finished with a career high 27 points, including 17 in the second half. Junior Kyle Guy (Indianapolis, Ind.), who finished with 24 points, was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. Junior Ty Jerome (New Rochelle, N.Y.) had 16 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Junior Braxton Key (Charlotte, N.C.) had six points and matched a season high with 10 rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Virginia used a 15-4 run to lead 17-7 at the 9:54 mark in the first half. Texas Tech then hit four consecutive 3-pointers and would take the lead. UVA was down two with 2:29 to go in the first half when Hunter hit a jumper and Jerome nailed a 3-pointer just before the half to give UVA the 32-29 lead. Guy hit a three to open the second half. Virginia would lead 53-43 with 10:24 to play after another three from Guy. Texas Tech went on a 17-6 run over five minutes to lead 68-65 with 22 seconds to play. Hunter hit the three to tie the game and send it to overtime. Hunter hit another three in the overtime period and UVA was 12-for-12 on free throws to take the win.
NOTES
• Virginia (35-3) claimed its first national championship in men’s basketball
• UVA extended its school record in wins to 35
• Jerome became the 49th member of the Virginia 1,000-point club (1,011 career points)
• Jerome (eight assists) moved into a tie for third on UVA’s single-season assist list with 202 career assists
• Guy ranks 26th on UVA’s career scoring list with 1,323 points
• Hunter had his 12th career 20-point game
• Guy had his 16th career 20-point game
• Kyle Guy was named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Final Four
• Hunter and Jerome joined Guy on the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team
QUOTES
“I think it was a terrific game, to see how these guys played. The one thing I said to them before in the locker room, I said, you guys faced pressure that no team in the history of the game has faced, well, really all year, but being down 14 against Gardner-Webb, and you did not panic in that moment, and you fought, and you found a way out. That, I think, prepared you for this moment to be able to handle the pressure or the intensity of a National Championship game. And these guys stepped up. What De’Andre – is that your career high, 27? What a game to have it. He was terrific. These three all year have been unbelievable. If one was a little off, someone picked up the team. To me, that was – it appeared, from my standpoint, to be a high-level game. We scored 85 in that setting, so good stuff.”