Bench Leads No. 3 Virginia Past No. 11 Boston College in ACC Tournament Quarterfinals Overtime Thriller
WASHINGTON, D.C. — 26 bench points from No. 3 seed Virginia lifted the Cavaliers past the No. 11 Boston College Eagles, 66-60, in an overtime ACC Tournament quarterfinals victory on Thursday night (March 14) at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
With the win, Virginia has advanced to the ACC Tournament semifinals in five of the last six years.
Virginia shot 40 percent from the field and 32 percent from 3-point range. Boston College shot 36 percent in Thursday’s contest and posted only two points from the bench.
Three Cavaliers, Jake Groves (15 points, 11 rebounds), Reece Beekman (11 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists) and Taine Murray (11 points, 5-6 FG), scored in double figures. Groves posted his first career double-double in the contest, while Beekman recorded his fifth.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The opening two minutes of the contest saw the Eagles drain two quick 3-pointers before Blake Buchanan got the Cavaliers on the board with a turnaround jumper. Boston College countered with another triple, bringing their total to three in three minutes, all coming from junior guard Claudell Harris, Jr. Following the first media timeout, graduate forward/center Quinten Post tacked on another 3 for the Eagles to bring the score to 14-4. By the next media timeout, the Wahoo deficit remained at 10 points (18-8). Shortly thereafter, the Virginia offense sparked a 7-0 scoring run, kicked off by an Andrew Rohde 3-pointer, followed by a Taine Murray stepback jumper and punctuated by Beekman connecting with Dunn for a massive alley-oop. By the seven-minute mark, Virginia had cut its deficit to just five points (22-17). With the momentum in their favor, the Cavaliers strung together an 8-0 run, including makes from beyond the arc from both Rohde and Groves, to claim their first lead of the evening (23-22) with just over four minutes remaining in the first frame. The Eagles quickly reclaimed the lead with a 3-pointer and went on to claim a 35-29 lead heading into the intermission. Jake Groves led the Cavaliers at halftime with eight points off 3 for 4 shooting with two triples and five rebounds.
Right out of the break, five quick points, followed by a Murray 3-pointer, brought the game to a 37-37 tie. The two sides continue to trade makes from deep, as Post immediately followed with a 3 of his own. The Cavaliers would continue to trail for the next seven minutes until a Rohde bucket broke the seal to put Virginia up 47-46. Once again, a Post 3-pointer reclaimed the lead for Boston College, a lead that would last until a Dante Harris jumper three minutes later tied it at 53. Post followed with a layup, but two made free throws from McKneely brought the score back to a tie (55-55) at the 2:55 mark. A clutch block from Jordan Minor maintained the tie at 1:21. At 29.9 seconds, a pair of makes from the line from Groves put the Cavaliers up 57-55, but an Eagles buzzer beater sent the contest into overtime.
After the Cavaliers forced an Eagle turnover on their first possession of the overtime period, McKneely hit a triple to put Virginia up 60-57. Nearly three minutes later, a Beekman 3-pointer extended that lead to six. Boston College brought it within three with their lone make of overtime, but a layup and a made free throw from Minor sealed the Virginia victory by a margin of six.
UP NEXT
Virginia advances to Friday’s semifinals game and will face No. 10 seed NC State. Tipoff from Capital One Arena is set for 9:30 p.m. on ESPN.
UVA and the Wolfpack squared off twice in regular season action, with the Wolfpack claiming a 76-60 win in Raleigh on Jan. 6 and the Cavaliers owning a 59-53 OT win at John Paul Jones Arena on Jan. 24.