"Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships."
This oft-used cliché rang true for the Virginia men's basketball team last night as its postseason run in the College Basketball Invitational? came to a close. The Cavaliers were defeated 96-85 by Bradley in the semifinals of the CBI.
At times, the Cavaliers (17-16, 5-11 ACC) appeared helpless on defense, and Bradley (20-15, 9-9 Missouri Valley Conference) was able to run up the score while limiting Virginia at the same time. On numerous occasions, the Cavaliers surrendered wide-open 3-point baskets, dunks and layups. At the other end of the court, Virginia hit the rim countless times as it struggled to shoot the ball from the perimeter. Bradley shot over 60 percent from the field in the second half and outscored Virginia 54-43 in the period. The Cavaliers also struggled at the free-throw line, shooting a season-low 42.9 percent from the charity stripe. Freshman guard Jeff Jones led Virginia with 26 points, senior guard Sean Singletary added 17 points and eight assists and senior forward Adrian Joseph contributed 15 points. Senior guard Jeremy Crouch led Bradley with 27 points,? ending the postseason for the Cavaliers.
"As you close out a season you get time to reflect," Virginia coach Dave Leitao said. "My mind went back to our seniors and what they've been through. With Sean you're saying goodbye to one of the greatest young persons that I've ever met. That's hard to swallow for me."
Singletary started the game on the right foot for Virginia as he penetrated into the lane and put the ball in off the glass on the Cavaliers' first possession. Junior forward Mamadi Diane continued Virginia's hot start as he added 4 early points off two strong moves to the basket. A little over five minutes into the game, Virginia enjoyed a somewhat comfortable 13-8 lead.
Junior forward Laurynas Mikalauskas continued Virginia's good start by connecting on two layups, the first of which came after a dazzling array of moves from Singletary. Two free throws from Jones extended Virginia's early lead to 8, 19-11, with just over 11 minutes to play in the half.
Three straight Virginia 3-pointers, two from Jones and one from Joseph, broke the game wide open. Just as it seemed things couldn't get any better, Singletary pulled off another trademark acrobatic basket to give Virginia a 30-16 lead with 8:50 to play in the opening half. Singletary's basket, as is normally the case, brought the entire John Paul Jones Arena crowd to its feet in applause for the stunning Virginia run.
Virginia's run, however, was quickly countered by the Braves. Bradley quietly went on a 13-0 run in about 2 minutes and 30 seconds. In a matter of moments, Virginia saw its comfortable 14-point lead evaporate.
Over the closing minutes of the half the two teams traded baskets and maintained a physical style of play. The first half ended in a 42-42 tie after Diane tipped in a missed free throw at the buzzer. Virginia shot just 44 percent from the free-throw line in the period.
Jones continued to have the hot hand, drilling two more 3-pointers to begin the second half. Bradley, however, forced Virginia to commit a number of turnovers early on and kept the score tied at 50 five minutes into the half.
The next five minutes were notable mostly for the lack of defense exhibited by both teams. Bradley was easily able to knock down several wide-open shots and come up with two very easy layups. Virginia, for the most part, kept pace with Bradley until it gave up three straight Bradley baskets -- which forced Leitao to call a time out to straighten things out. The Cavaliers trailed the Braves by 7, 65-58, with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game.
Leitao's attempt to rally his players, however, did not work. Virginia continued its cold shooting streak and did not break it until Jones sank a 10-foot jumper with just over eight minutes to play. With 7:53 remaining Virginia trailed Bradley, 71-60.
Each time Virginia attempted to reverse the tide, Bradley drilled another open shot or dropped in another easy basket. Virginia's defensive woes continued over the next several minutes, and the Cavaliers faced a 15-point deficit with just under five minutes to play.
Over the last five minutes, Virginia narrowed Bradley's lead but continued to give up open dunks and easy free-throw opportunities.
"I thought the game was there to be had," Bradley coach Jim Les said. "I thought our guys did a great job of getting hands on shots and limiting them to one shot. I thought we made it a little tough for [Singletary]"
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