With junior forward Devin Smith out with a back injury and sophomore forward Derrick Byars in foul trouble, Virginia needed freshman Gary Forbes to step up more than ever in last night's season opener. Forbes did not disappoint.
The freshman led the Cavaliers (1-0) with 21 points and nine rebounds as Virginia defeated Mount St. Mary's, 80-71, at University Hall. The victory is Virginia's sixth straight opening game win under coach Pete Gillen.
The Cavaliers led by as many as 12 points midway through the first half but allowed the winless Mountaineers to hang in the game throughout. Mount St. Mary's (0-4) pulled to within six points with just over a minute remaining, but the Virginia defense held the Mountaineers to 1-6 from the field in the last minute to help the Cavaliers walk away with a hard-fought victory.
"It certainly wasn't pretty, but we're playing a lot of young guys and without Devin Smith," Gillen said. "With three or four young guys on the court, it's going to be erratic."
Gillen started two freshmen in his lineup, giving guard J.R. Reynolds the nod along with Forbes. Reynolds put forth a strong defensive effort and clocked 37 minutes but had trouble shooting the ball, making only 1-6 from the field.
"J.R.'s a great shooter," Gillen said. "He's not shooting the ball great, but he's a great shooter. He's just trying too hard."
The Cavaliers also received help from their youngsters at the post position. Forward Donte Minter split time with junior center Elton Brown and proved to be more effective in the post offensively than the veteran. Minter scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 18 minutes of play.
"Elton had his physical game, but he had trouble finishing," Gillen said. "So, we went with Donte, and Donte did a good job."
Despite Minter's strong post play, the Mountaineers were able to control the boards, outrebounding Virginia by a 41-36 margin and grabbing 16 offensive boards to the Cavaliers' six.
Byars committed three first half fouls and was whistled for his fifth with 9:11 remaining in the second. Despite his early departure, Byars was still one of five Cavaliers to score in double digits, tallying 11 points. He was a perfect 5-5 from the field.
Although the Cavaliers managed to shoot 52.2 percent from the field, they had some trouble at the charity stripe and behind the arc. Virginia made 29 of their 45 free throws and only three of their 15 three-point attempts.
One of Virginia's top perimeter threats, last season's leading scorer Todd Billet, was held to only four shots on the night. The Mountaineers' focus on Billet opened up scoring opportunities for Virginia's freshmen, who were able to fill the void.
"As soon as I crossed half court the guy was just face-guarding me. A lot of teams don't do that," Billet said. "It just creates so much opportunity for other guys. They kind of gambled tonight because it was the freshmen's first game. They wanted to put them in a position where they had to make some plays. Fortunately we have good enough freshmen that were able to do that."
With six players gone from last year's team, the Cavaliers knew they would need help from the youngsters right away. Last night's game showed how much Virginia would need them. According to Forbes, the freshmen are ready for the responsibility.
"Coach Gillen told us that he doesn't want us to play like freshman," Forbes said. "We're not freshmen. We're only freshmen by class. When we get on the court, we're veterans. We know how to play the game of basketball."
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