What a difference one month and the addition of Adam Hall can make.
Coach Pete Gillen benched Hall for the duration of the last meeting between the two teams for still undisclosed reasons. The second-year swingman watched as Tiger guard Will Solomon went for 43 points Jan. 15 in a 98-91 Cav victory at Littlejohn Coliseum.
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Last night in Charlottesville, Hall blanketed Solomon, holding the sophomore to only 13 points on 4-of-13 shooting and forcing him into seven turnovers in a 76-62 Virginia victory.
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Solomon, who leads the ACC in scoring with 21.6 points-per-game, was held scoreless until 3:30 remained in the opening stanza. When he finally recorded his first points of the evening, the ball didn't even pass through the net - Chris Williams blocked Solomon's fast-break layup attempt, but was whistled for goaltending.
Rumors that Hall stayed glued to Solomon until a security guard pried him off as the Tigers hit the locker room proved untrue, but that was about the only time Hall wasn't in his opponent's face.
And when Solomon - listed at a mere 6-foot-1, 170 pounds - did get past the 6-foot-5 Hall into the paint, the Cav defense collapsed on him, preventing any easy scoring opportunities.
"I thought Adam did an excellent job, but I thought their team as a collection was even more important to their defensive success," Clemson Coach Larry Shyatt said.
The Cavs attempted to limit Solomon's outside shooting after he netted eight treys in their previous meeting. Last night, he hit only 2-of-7 from behind the arc. Hall was able to use his height and long wingspan to keep Solomon from getting many good looks at the basket.
"We wanted to contest his threes," Gillen said. "He's lightning, so he can go by you, but we had guys waiting in the lane for him. The three is what kills you."
Hall, Virginia's main defensive stopper, often has the challenge of guarding the opposition's best player.
"I guess [Solomon] didn't come out to play and I did," Hall said. "I don't think he was ready for my quickness and my height."
At the other end of the court, Hall tallied 10 points, including a pair of threes and a spectacular alley-oop that brought the fans out of their seats. But his defense was critical in limiting Solomon and helping the Cavs to their seventh Conference victory as they hope to earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Clemson center Adam "Allenspach's good, [forward Andrius] Jurkunas is good, but [Solomon] is the guy who can beat you by himself," Gillen said.
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