After opening up a first half lead of as many as 20 points, Virginia (10-3, 1-1 ACC) held off two second-half surges by North Carolina (9-5, 1-1) and won its home ACC opener, 79-72, Saturday.
Junior guard Todd Billet scored 17 of his game-high 24 points in the first half behind 5-of-7 shooting on three-pointers as Virginia exploited a UNC zone in the first half, shooting 57 percent and opening up a 48-30 halftime lead.
"We made a choice to go zone" defense, UNC coach Matt Doherty said. "They struggled against East Tennessee State's zone, they didn't shoot well against N.C. State, but they came out and shot well today. Todd Billet shot the ball well. Maybe we should have gotten out of the zone sooner, but we made the adjustment at halftime."
At half time, the Heels made the switch to man-to-man and opened the half on a 14-3 run, cutting the lead to 51-44.
Virginia responded.
Sophomore point guard Keith Jenifer came back into the game just 40 seconds after leaving with his third foul and sparked an 8-0 run.
The Heels chiseled away at the lead, and sophomore forward Jawad Williams hit two free throws with 2:35 left to cut the lead to 75-69 and two Virginia turnovers gave UNC opportunities, but the Cavaliers were able to hold on for the victory.
"We beat a tremendous team today," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said. "I thought we played extremely well in the first half. But we came out and played poorly in the second half. They were energized. We held them to 40 percent shooting, but if we could have rebounded the ball, it could have been even better."
The game marked the return of Virginia sophomore point guard Majestic Mapp, who missed 1,032 days and 70 games while he had four knee surgeries. Mapp entered the game with 7:32 left in the first half to a standing ovation from the sellout crowd at University Hall, as well as applause from teammates and Tar Heels alike.
He ran four offensive possessions for Virginia, rimming out a three-pointer, but Gillen considered his presence on the court to be the biggest victory of the day.
"He didn't have a big impact or imprint on the game, but the fact that he had the courage to play was great," Gillen said. "I thought that was more important than us beating a very fine Carolina team. All those thousands of hours of rehab and the pain and the doubt -- I was thrilled for him. It would have been too good to be true if he had nailed that three."
Mapp left the game two minutes later, and Virginia then went on a 19-2 run to close the first half. Senior power forward Travis Watson finished the first half with 10 points and 10 rebounds, giving the All-American candidate his fourth straight double-double before halftime. He finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
"They zoned a lot, especially in the first half, so it was tough to get him the ball," Gillen said. "He worked pretty hard to get it. We were looking for him. He has to be maniacal looking for the ball. When he gets touches, good things usually happen."
Virginia struggled on the glass, as a smaller UNC team managed 22 offensive rebounds despite missing its top big man in freshman forward Sean May, who is out until March with a broken foot.
For Doherty, Billet's shooting was d
j
vu. When Billet was at Rutgers and Doherty was coaching Notre Dame in 2000, Billet scored 31 in a Scarlet Knights' victory.
"It was nice to finally have a really good game," Billet said. "I know what my capabilities are and I haven't been playing up to my capabilities. This should be a jump start for me and I just want to help the team on the court."
Virginia will return to action tonight when they travel to Cameron Indoor Stadium to face top-ranked Duke at 7. The game will be televised on ESPN.
Read More
For Leah Hayes, 'Just keep swimming' is what Virginia is all about
By Xander Tilock | YesterdayShe shatters records in the pool and is an inspiration to swimming fans and all those with alopecia.
Virginia comes back from a 20-point gap but falls short versus No. 18 Georgia Tech
By Victoria Blankenship | YesterdayVirginia loses another ACC bout in heartbreaking fashion.
How a reinvention turned Andrew Rohde into men’s basketball’s most reliable player
By Thomas Baxter | 2 days agoThe guard has become one of Virginia's primary threats.
