If the Virginia men's basketball team is successful in the second half of upcoming ACC and tournament play, it just might look back on the last 15 minutes of last night's 85-71 victory over the struggling Clemson team (11-13, 2-9 ACC) as a turning point in this season.
After Clemson freshman Jamar McKnight hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 50 with 15 minutes, 11 seconds remaining, the Cavaliers (14-6, 5-5) rode their full-court press to a 15-0 run.
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"When we were tied at 50, we all felt flat out on the floor," junior guard Roger Mason Jr. said. "It was important for us to turn up the defensive intensity and get some easy baskets to start our run. That is the way we like to play, with an up-and-down tempo."
Mason, who led all scorers with 23 points, started the run with two free throws and a layup off a steal. After two free throws by senior forward Chris Williams, junior center Travis Watson stole the ball and intentionally was fouled by Clemson's Ed Scott.
Following Watson's two free throws, Mason found a wide-open Williams in the corner, who proceeded to knock down a three-pointer and give the Cavaliers a 13-point lead, which Clemson would not overcome.
"I wanted to be more aggressive in the second half," Williams said. "Take the ball to the basket and get to the free throw line. Coach told me to be a little more aggressive on the offensive end."
Watson chipped in with his 14th double-double of the season, scoring 20 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Williams, who only scored three points in the first half, came up big in the second half with 17 points.
Sparked by a tenacious defense and a shift in the starting lineup, Virginia ran out to a quick start. Freshmen Jason Clark and Jermaine Harper started in the place of sophomore forward J.C. Mathis and freshman guard Keith Jenifer.
The Cavaliers made eight of their first 12 shots to grab an early 20-9 lead, though the pesky Tigers hung around with hot shooting of their own.
After falling behind by 11 twice in the first half, Clemson closed to within five points going into the break. Virginia shot 57 percent in the first half, with the Tigers staying close at a 52 percent clip.
"We played pretty good in the first half," Clark said. "But we needed to play better defense. I think we started to see that in the second half."
After losing four straight games, three of those to ranked opponents, the Cavaliers refused to let McKnight and the Tigers deny them an ACC win.
"We played really good defense in the second half," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said. "This was the biggest win of the year, because we were reeling. They played us tough, but it was a very physical game. We really picked it up in the second half"
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