COLLEGE PARK, Md.-
Virginia did what no one expected them to do: go into one of the most hostile arenas in the country and stun eighth-ranked Maryland.
Not when Virginia had lost 10 straight ACC road games. Not when Maryland had won 14 straight ACC games at home. Especially not when Maryland had built a lead of 12 points with less than 13 minutes to play.
Until that point, the plot line seemed to fit right in with this season of Virginia basketball on the road: open up a first half lead, lose it by halftime and get blown out late. Last year, Virginia dropped a 91-87 heartbreaker at home to Maryland. The loss sent the Cavaliers' season into a tailspin, as Virginia, then ranked fourth, lost eight of 11 after that.
This year, Virginia came to College Park in search of more than its first road victory. It was a team in search of its identity, struggling anywhere away from Charlottesville.
With Maryland opening the first half with a 20-6 burst, I started to write about another typical Virginia loss. But then Virginia displayed the toughness, resilience and poise that they have been searching for all season.
Everyone watching saw how Virginia went on a 16-0 run, part of a larger 27-9 run, stunning the crowd and probably coach Pete Gillen. The cake was iced when sophomore Devin Smith found his stroke with four straight three-pointers.
But what was different about this game was the defensive poise exhibited by Virginia.
Virginia's ability to fight back from a deficit clearly was unexpected and yet more than welcome.
The win "gives us a big lift," said Virginia guard Jermaine Harper, who hit two big three-pointers down the stretch.
"We hadn't won on the road, but you have to keep playing and never give up and that's what we did tonight. We just kept our composure, and made our shots and got away with a win."
Virginia held the Terps to 36.7 percent shooting in the second half. From the 9:07 mark to garbage time, Maryland was held without a field goal. For over nine minutes.
Against Duke, Virginia was nowhere near capable of holding J.J. Redick without a field goal for nine seconds.
"We couldn't score when we got it inside" late, Maryland coach Gary Williams said. "They were able to hold us to one shot on the offensive end of the court."
He was talking about Virginia.
"We just showed our best defensive performance of the year," Smith said. "We came out as a team and showed a lot of character. We knew what we had to do in the second half because we came in and talked about it at halftime."
Everyone was hustling on defense and fighting for loose balls. And Virginia was getting them.
"Virginia wanted it more than we did," Williams said, eerily echoing Gillen's comments after his team fell to Clemson on the road.
The Cavaliers long have struggled handling the ball on the road, turning it over 19 times in Atlanta and 23 in Blacksburg.
It seemed at first to be no different tonight, as the Cavaliers amassed 20 turnovers in the first 30 minutes.
They then went the last 10 minutes against a pesky defense without a turnover, despite missing point guard Keith Jenifer, the team's best ballhandler.
"That was key," Gillen said. "It won't show up in the box score, but Todd Billet handled the ball well against their pressure and Majestic [Mapp] came off the bench and I thought that was great."
Gillen seemed to work as hard as his players tonight, pacing the sidelines, pumping his fists and doling out high fives. The monkey is off the back now. Virginia can win on the road.
"It was a special victory," Gillen said. "We beat a terrific team in a very tough place to play."
After hitting rock bottom two weeks ago, Virginia is on its way back up.
And who would have guessed it? Not I.
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