Franklin Ties Career-High 23 Points in 65-55 Victory Over Georgia
NEWARK, N.J. — Virginia (3-2) outscored Georgia (2-3) 16-7 in the final 6:21 of play and Armaan Franklin (Indianapolis, Ind.) tied his career high of 23 points to lift the Cavaliers to a 65-55 victory Monday night in their first of two contests at the Roman Legends Classic at the Prudential Center.
Despite shooting 1 for 7 from behind the arc, Franklin finished Monday’s game 8 of 16 from the field and made all six of his free-throw attempts.
Kihei Clark (12 points) and Jayden Gardner (11 points) also scored in double figures for the Hoos. Defensively, Virginia received a clutch outing from Kadin Shedrick (Holly Springs, N.C.), who despite picking up his fourth personal foul with a little over 10 minutes to play, posted two blocked shots and drew an offensive foul late down the stretch to help seal the Cavaliers’ third win of the season.
Virginia forced 12 UGA turnovers, while committing only four turnovers – a season best for the Cavaliers.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Virginia utilized an 11-0 run early in the first half to take a 13-6 at the 13:34 mark. The run was highlighted by nine points from Franklin in the span of just over three minutes and seven straight UVA points in transition. After six straight points of their own, the Bulldogs regained the lead 26-25 with 4:28 remaining the first half and ultimately led 34-31 at the half. Franklin led all scorers at the intermission with 11 points on 4 of 9 shooting, while the Virginia defense converted seven UGA turnovers into eight points.
Virginia opened the second half by scoring seven straight points, including a 3-pointer from Clark on the Cavaliers’ first shot attempt, which tied the game 34-34. The Bulldogs took the lead 48-47 on a dunk with 7:18 to play, but UVA tallied 15 scores in contrast to UGA’s three after that to secure the win.
THE GAME BALL GOES TO:
Armaan Franklin. In addition to tying his career high in points, the Indiana transfer notched his second 20-point performance this season. His 23 points are the most by a Cavalier in a single game this season. While playing for the Hoosiers, Franklin scored 23 points twice last season: at Illinois (Dec. 26) and at Northwestern (Feb. 10).
UP NEXT
Virginia will face Providence in the Roman Legends Classic championship game on Tuesday (Nov. 23). Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2 from the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.