Virginia Falls on the Road to NC State, 76-60

RALEIGH, N.C. – The Virginia Cavaliers (11-4, 2-2 ACC) fell to the NC State Wolfpack (11-3, 3-0 ACC) at PNC Arena on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 6). 

For the Hoos, Isaac McKneely led all scorers with 18 points on 6-for-13 shooting while Reece Beekman finished with a double-double after tallying 12 points and 10 assists, his fifth 10+ assist game in his career. Ryan Dunn also finished in double-figures with 12 points and seven rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED
After McKneely opened the game’s scoring with a 3-pointer, neither team was able to establish a solid lead for the first nearly nine minutes of the contest. Shortly after a six-point scoring burst that put the Cavaliers up 15-9, the Wolfpack responded with an unanswered run of their own and retook the lead 28-21 with 2:16 before halftime. A driving layup from Beekman sent the Hoos into the break down 35-28.

Virginia was never able to regain control of the lead after NC State opened the second stanza with a 6-0 and 8-0 scoring run. The Cavaliers attempted to cut the deficit with a seven-point run late in the game, which was punctuated by a fast-break layup from Dunn. McKneely scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half, with nine points coming from 3-pointers.

UP NEXT
Virginia plays at Wake Forest on Saturday, Jan. 13. Tipoff at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum is set for 2 p.m. on ESPN2.