Virginia triumphed in its first road test of the season, upsetting No. 17 Arizona 75-72 despite the fact that senior Sean Singletary was also battling against a flu bug.
Singletary led all scorers with 24 points, including a perfect 11-11 from the free-throw line, and added a game-high 8 assists. According to the Virginia athletics Web site, the senior guard said after the game that he had been bothered by the flu for several days before Saturday's game.
In addition to posting an impressive stat line, the flu-ridden Singletary provided late-game heroics that led to the victory, nailing two free throws and draining an 18-footer to push Virginia's lead to 4 with 39 seconds remaining. The Cavaliers left the door open to the Wildcats in the closing seconds, however, when Tech freshman guard Jerryd Bayless hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to one, and Virginia junior guard Mamadi Diane was called for five seconds on the ensuing in-bounds play even though the Cavaliers had a time-out to burn. On the subsequent Arizona in-bounds play, however, Bayless made a mental error of his own when he deflected the in-bounds pass toward the half-court line, forcing it directly into the hands of Virginia senior Adrian Joseph. Joseph knocked in both his free throws to push the lead to three, and the Wildcats were unable to convert on the ensuing possession, sealing the win for Virginia.
The Cavaliers were lights out from the perimeter, shooting 12-21 from behind the 3-point line, including an absurd 9-13 in the first half. Freshman Jeff Jones led the Cavaliers in this category, as he scored 15 points on five 3-point field goals.
The Cavaliers' outstanding shooting gave them a 42-31 lead going into halftime. Arizona, however, rallied early in the second half, going on a 16-2 run to take a 1-point lead. The outlook for the Cavaliers appeared even bleaker when Virginia coach Dave Leitao was forced to sit Singletary after he picked up his fourth foul late in the second half. The Wildcats, however, were unable to obtain a lead of more than 1 point in the last five minutes, as Virginia outscored Arizona 10-5 down the stretch.
The undefeated Cavaliers return home Tuesday for their next match-up against Drexel, which is also undefeated at 3-0 after posting a 23-9 record last season. Virginia then travels to Philadelphia for the Philly Hoop Group Classic this weekend at the Palestra, where it will play defending Ivy League champion Penn Friday and either Seton Hall or Navy Saturday pending the outcome of Friday's games.
-- compiled by Paul Montana
Read More
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.
Men’s soccer, totally discombobulated, capitulates early to No. 5 Pittsburgh
By Michael Liebermann | YesterdayPittsburgh set a program record for the quickest cluster of three goals.
