Maybe Virginia graduate Sean Singletary should come back more often for home basketball games.
Singletary was in Charlottesville for the retirement of his No. 44 and had the chance to witness Virginia play arguably its best game of the season, as the Cavaliers ended an eight-game ACC losing streak en route to upsetting No. 12 Clemson 85-81 in overtime. The victory marked Virginia’s first victory against a ranked opponent since the squad topped No. 17 Arizona 75-72 Nov. 17, 2007.
“I told [the players] when we were struggling ‘before you can change the score, before you can change the outcome, you have to change something about what you do,’” coach Dave Leitao said. “I think they did a good job both in their mental approach ... and themselves structurally.”
Virginia played solid basketball from the start, building an early 16-5 lead. The team continued to play well on both sides of the ball throughout the first half of play, and it entered halftime leading Clemson 33-25.
“I thought Virginia really took it to us in the first half of the game and out-efforted us,” Clemson coach Oliver Purnell said. “We turned it over 13 times [in the first half] and certainly weren’t sharp offensively by any measure.”
The game quickly turned sour for the Cavaliers, however, as the Tigers opened the second half scoring 14 unanswered points in just 3:34 of action. The Cavaliers could have folded then — down 39-33 — but instead, the team rallied.
“They responded the same way they have to what’s been going on the past few weeks,” Leitao said. “Win, lose or draw — we’ve come back into the gym and just worked, and I think the same thing happened during that stretch where we just didn’t let the moment adversely affect us. I think it was all of our jobs to continue to encourage one another.”
Virginia redshirt freshman guard Sammy Zeglinski’s three-pointer knotted the score at 40 with 14:38 remaining, and it then became a back-and-forth affair right down to the wire.
The Cavaliers found themselves down 74-72 with 30 seconds left in regulation, needing someone to step up and make a play. Freshman guard Sylven Landesberg answered the call, making a driving layup with 13.4 seconds left to tie the game at 74.
“He’s proven this early in his career that he’s not only a really good player, but he’s a big money player,” Leitao said. “Give him some space — some room — and trust that he can make plays.”
Unlike Landesberg, the Tigers failed to capitalize on a number of opportunities during their final possession in regulation. Sophomore guard Demontez Stitt missed a jump shot, and senior forward K.C. Rivers missed the subsequent tip-in opportunity, forcing overtime.
“You’re trying to do anything to get the ball out of there,” Virginia junior forward Jamil Tucker said about Clemson’s last-second chances around the rim. “It seems like it slows down a little bit trying to get the ball out.”
After a three-pointer from Tiger sophomore guard Terrence Oglesby to start overtime, Virginia went on a 6-0 run to go up 80-77. Following two free throws from Clemson junior forward Trevor Booker, Landesberg made two consecutive baskets to put the Cavaliers up 84-79. Virginia had a chance to put the game away after two more Tiger free throws, but Tucker missed a three-pointer and the Tigers found themselves with the ball and 24 seconds on the clock. Zeglinski, though, placed excellent pressure defense on Oglesby during the ensuing possession, forcing him to miss a contested three-pointer.
“I knew he was going to try to draw the foul,” Zeglinski said. “He got to the three-point line, he pump-faked — I stayed on the ground and forced him to throw up a bad shot.”
Tucker grabbed the rebound off Oglesby’s miss with 6 seconds left and made one of two free throws off a Clemson foul to ice the game. The victory also gave Virginia a win against its highest-ranked opponent since the Cavaliers toppled No. 8 Duke 68-66 in overtime Feb. 1.
“It was real emotional [in the locker room after the game],” Zeglinski said. “From here on out, we know we can win these games.”
The last time Virginia broke an eight-game ACC losing streak was in 1998, and — ironically — that win also came against Clemson in an overtime victory at home by the same four-point margin. Virginia now will hope to ride the momentum from yesterday’s victory into Wednesday’s game against in-state rival Virginia Tech; Leitao said he is relying on fans for support, noting that increased fan involvement can energize a team and help carry it to victory.
“As I said to the fans at the end of the game, we really need each other,” Leitao said. “They need us and we need them. It’s a marriage that I think has been very, very good, and I think will be good.”
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