COLUMBUS, OHIO -- With 5.7 seconds left, Virginia junior Sean Singletary sprinted down the court, the game in his hands. Six seconds later, Singletary collapsed to the floor as his potential three-point buzzer beater dipped in, and then out of, the Cavalier basket. Virginia lost a heartbreaker yesterday to Tennessee 77-74 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, ending what many have deemed a season of overachievement.
"I understood at that point in time, because he is the way he is, that he would immediately take blame," Virginia coach Dave Leitao said of Singletary. "That's the last thing I wanted him to do. We've all been there. I've been there. It's an awful feeling."
It was Singletary's counterpart, senior J.R. Reynolds, who dominated the first half of Sunday's game much as he did two days prior. Battling all afternoon against Tennessee's All-SEC guard, junior Chris Lofton, Reynolds was on fire in the first, dropping 22 points including four three-pointers.
"I just wanted to get off to a good start early," Reynolds said. "I wanted to be aggressive. After the first few shots fell, I just kept looking for my shot. [Singletary] did a great job getting me the ball in positions to score."
Already fighting through hip trouble, Reynolds suffered another injury just before halftime as he came down wrong on a Tennessee defender. After dominating the first half offensively for the Cavaliers, Reynolds battled throughout the second but managed just four points.
"I tweaked my right ankle," Reynolds said. "I didn't have the same lift after that on my right side."
To Virginia's credit, the Cavaliers fought hard throughout the second half. The Tennessee lead grew from three at halftime to 10 with about 13 minutes to play after two free throws from Lofton. A stocky, powerful sharpshooter, Lofton finished the game with 20 points, including six clutch free throws in the game's last 18 seconds.
Lofton is "a great player," Leitao said. "[He] make[s] plays at the most important times for their team. I'm sure everyone on their side felt very comfortable when he went to the line and knocked those shots down."
Down by four with 12 seconds on the clock, Singletary shed his man using a ball screen and coolly nailed a three-pointer, bringing Virginia to within one. That was as close as the Cavaliers would get, however, as Lofton's free throws extended Tennessee's lead to 3. After another exchange of free throws in the final 10 seconds, Singletary's final heave would have tied the game and sent it into overtime. The shot epitomized the day for Singletary, who, despite his three-pointer with 12 seconds to go, had trouble finding his shot all afternoon.
"I didn't have the game I wanted to, but I tried my best," Singletary said. "I feel as though [Reynolds] and I did well in leading our team. They put their heart out there and played hard in the second half."
With the loss, Virginia falls to 21-11 for the season. After being picked to finish eighth in the preseason ACC poll, the Cavaliers earned a share of the ACC crown as well as the school's first NCAA Tournament victory in over ten years.
Read More
Volleyball holds off Boston College in tight five-set win
By Lauren Halak | 10 hours agoSenior outside hitter Elayna Duprey led the team throughout the match with 22 points and 18 kills.
Virginia annihilated 41-14 in a must-win contest versus North Carolina
By Peter Kriebel | YesterdayJust about everything that could have gone wrong for Virginia football went wrong.
No. 24 women’s soccer not to be denied in late win over Clemson
By Sam Chun | YesterdayThe Cavaliers topped Clemson 1-0 in front of a packed out Klöckner Stadium.
