No. 2 seed Virginia Falls 59-49 to No. 4 seed Duke in ACC Title Game
GREENBSORO N.C. — In the program’s 10th ACC finals appearance, No. 2 seed Virginia (25-7) fell 59-49 to No. 4 seed Duke (26-8) Saturday night (March 11) at the Greensboro Sports Complex.
The Cavaliers were led by Reece Beekman (12 points, 4 assists, 4 steals) and Isaac McKneely (10 points, 2-4 FG). Virginia shot just 33 percent from the field, while the Blue Devils made 42 percent of their field goal attempts.
Duke’s Jeremy Roach (23 points) and Kyle Filipowski (20 points) combined for 43 points to steer the Blue Devils to 22nd ACC Tournament title. Filipowski was named ACC Tournament MVP.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Virginia struggled offensively in the first half, shooting just 27 percent from the floor as the Blue Devils led 24-17 at the break. The Cavaliers’ 17 points in the first 20 minutes of play are a season low in either a first or second half. Duke leaped out to a 6-0 lead and led the final 19:34 of the opening period. A 5-0 run by the Blue Devils late in the first stanza gave them their largest lead of the half, 22-11, at the 2:23 mark.
Both teams made just one 3-pointer each in the first half, combining to shoot 1-for-13 from behind the arc. Duke outscored the Hoos 14-6 in the paint with the help of forward Filipowski, who led all scorers at the break with 11 points, including six in the paint. For the Cavaliers, Beekman led UVA with six points on 3-of-6 shooting and three steals at the break.
A 7-0 Duke run early in the second half delivered its largest lead of the game, 36-22, with 14:35 remaining. The Cavaliers immediately responded with a 10-2 run of their own to cut it back to a two-possession game, 38-32. Virginia trailed 52-43 with under 2:00 to play before the Cavaliers connected on their next three shots to to shrink the Duke lead to 53-49 with 46 seconds to play. After UVA opted to foul to stall the clock, the Blue Devils closed out the game by going 6-for-6 at the charity stripe to seal the win.
McKneely scored eight of his 10 total points off the bench in the second half, while Kadin Shedrick (5 points, 7 rebounds) and Ryan Dunn (2 points, 6 rebounds) combined for seven second-half bench points.
UP NEXT
The Cavaliers await their postseason fate as the NCAA bracket and field will be revealed during the selection show on Sunday (March 12) at 6 p.m. on CBS. READ MORE