No. 13 Virginia Outlasts North Carolina, 65-58

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — With the help of a 17-2 run, No. 13 Virginia (12-3, 4-2 ACC) outscored North Carolina (11-6, 3-3 ACC) in the second half and held on down the stretch to earn a 65-58 victory at John Paul Jones Arena Tuesday night (Jan. 10).

With the win, the Cavaliers have now won four of their last five games, all of which are ACC victories.

Ben Vander Plas (17 points, 8 rebounds), Reece Beekman (13 points, 5 assists), Armaan Franklin (12 points, 9 rebounds) and Isaac McKneely (11 points, 4-5 FG) all scored in double figures for the Hoos.

Defensively, UVA boasted eight blocked shots, including three each from Franklin and Vander Plas, and eight steals, five of which came at the hands of Beekman.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The first half was a defensive struggle early on as Virginia held the Tar Heels scoreless for nearly the first five minutes of play. After the Cavaliers led for the first 10 minutes of game time, UNC flipped the score thanks to a 9-0 run to deliver its first lead [12-10] of the contest midway through the first half. The Tar Heels out-rebounded UVA, 23-15, in the first 20 minutes of play, which helped UNC cling to a 29-27 lead at the half. After Carolina went up by as many as nine points [24-15], the Cavaliers gradually chipped away at the UNC lead for the remainder of the period. Virginia closed out the half on a high note after a Kadin Shedrick two-handed jam (assisted by Kihei Clark) and a Beekman steal with 23 seconds remaining, which led to Clark transition layup, lifted the JPJ crowd to its feet and seemingly shifted momentum in UVA’s favor heading into the break. UNC’s Armando Bacot exited the game within the first two minutes of action with an apparent ankle injury and did not return.

Five minutes into the second half, the UVA offense erupted, embarking on its 17-2 run, which was capped by a Vander Plas dunk. The scoring spree delivered UVA’s first lead [46-40] since the 9:08 mark in the first half. After shooting 2-for-11 from deep in the first half, UVA knocked down four of its eight second half 3-pointers and shot over 50 percent from the field in the last 20 minutes of play. After leading by as many as 10 points [52-42] midway through the second half, UNC guard Caleb Love drained three 3s to wither away at the UVA lead. Love’s final two made 3s of the game cut the Cavaliers’ lead to just three points twice, but in both instances UVA’s offense responded with a made 3 and a dunk, respectively, on the Cavaliers’ ensuing possessions.

THE GAME BALL GOES TO:
Ben Vander Plas. Vander Plas scored a game-high 17 points, 14 of which came in the second half. His 17 points mark his second-best scoring outing as a Cavalier. He shot 6-for-10 from the field, including 5-of-6 in the second half. His second made 3-pointer of the night with 12:52 to play in the second half flipped the score to give UVA a 42-40 lead, erasing UNC’s final lead of the game. On the final made bucket of the game, Vander Plas stole the ball amid a UNC inbound play at midcourt and threw down a two-handed jam as the crowd erupted in the waning seconds of the game.

UP NEXT
The Cavaliers travel to Florida State (5-11, 3-2 ACC) for an ACC contest on Saturday (Jan. 14). Tipoff at Donald L. Tucker Center is set for 4 p.m. on ESPN2.