Beekman’s Game Winner Lifts No. 22 Virginia Over Northeastern, 56-54

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – With 5.1 seconds remaining on the clock, No. 22 Virginia’s (9-1, 1-0 ACC) Reece Beekman converted a driving layup to complete the comeback victory over Northeastern (4-7) on Saturday night (Dec. 16) at John Paul Jones Arena.

Beekman’s 21 points (9-of-18 shooting) led all scorers and marked a new career-high, edging out his previous career-best of 20 points against Clemson on December 22, 2021.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Virginia struggled to find a groove offensively coming out of the gate as Northeastern opened up to a 16-4 advantage halfway through the first stanza. The Hoos fought their way back, erupting on a 16-2 scoring run which was capped off by a coast-to-coast three-point play from Elijah Gertrude. The Huskies, who shot 48 percent (13-of-27) in the first half, responded with a 12-4 run and went into the break with a 30-24 lead.

Northeastern opened up the second half with a quick 7-0 run to take a 13-point lead before the Hoos sparked a 13-3 run to erase a majority of the deficit. Virginia took its first lead of the second half with 7:01 minutes remaining thanks to Isaac McKneely’s second 3-pointer of the night. With the game knotted up at 54-54 with under a minute to go, Beekman forced his way to the basket and hit a driving layup with 5.1 seconds remaining to give UVA a two-point lead. The Huskies attempted to get a shot off in the final 3.1 seconds of the contest, but the Hoos forced a turnover on the inbound play and sealed their fifth straight victory on the season.

THE GAME BALL GOES TO:
Reece Beekman. Beekman scored Virginia’s final four points in the contest, all of which came in the final minute of play, including the driving layup to clinch UVA’s fifth straight victory. He tallied a career-high 21 points on 9-of-18 shooting, while also adding six rebounds and five assists.

UP NEXT
Virginia returns to action at Memphis on Tuesday, Dec. 19. Tipoff at FedExForum is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN2.