Virginia Drops ACC Opener to SMU, 63-51

DALLAS, Texas – Virginia (5-4, 0-1 ACC) had its 16-game winning streak in ACC openers snapped as SMU (8-2, 1-0 ACC) downed the Cavaliers 63-51 at Moody Coliseum on Saturday afternoon (Dec. 7).

Virginia shot 34 percent from the field and 42 percent from deep. Isaac McKneely led UVA with 17 points (5-12 FG, 4-8 3FG, 2-2 FT). He was the only Cavalier to score in double figures.

HOW IT HAPPENED
After being down by as many as nine points [28-19], the Cavaliers battled back with three 3-pointers in the final five minutes to go into halftime down only two [30-28]. SMU led 8-7 at the first media timeout, with all eight of its points coming from 7-2, 265-pound freshman center Samet Yigitoglu. The Mustangs posted a 13-2 run midway through the stanza and dominated the paint with 18 points, but timely shooting from beyond the arc kept the game within reach for Cavaliers. Andrew Rohde led Virginia at the break with seven points off 3-for-5 shooting.

Isaac McKneely opened scoring in the second half with a 3-pointer to regain the Virginia lead [31-30]. The two teams traded blows for the first part of the half, but after McKneely orchestrated a 7-0 run to grab a 45-38 lead, UVA would not make a field goal for the remaining ten minutes of play. The Hoos went 6-6 from the line down the stretch to remain within striking distance, but the Mustangs came away with a 63-51 win.

UP NEXT
Virginia hosts Bethune-Cookman in non-conference action on Thursday, Dec. 12. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 7 p.m. on ACC Network.