With eight minutes remaining in the second half, the No.16 Virginia men's basketball team trailed No.21 Florida State 42-29, but the Cavaliers battled back and in the last few minutes had a slim shot of forcing overtime.
Virginia had the ball with two seconds left, but junior guard Jontel Evans couldn't make a three-point shot before the buzzer sounded and Florida State foiled Virginia's comeback bid, 58-55.
Saturday's loss added one more heartbreaking defeat to the Cavaliers' 12-year winless streak in Tallahassee.
In addition to stopping Virginia's three-game winning streak, the Seminoles (16-6, 7-1 ACC) won their seventh straight game and cemented their position at the top of the conference along with North Carolina. The Cavaliers (18-4, 5-3 ACC) dropped to fifth in the league standings and have now lost four games by a combined 10 points.
The top-25 showdown lived up to its billing as a defensive slugfest, as both teams struggled to establish early offensive rhythm. Florida State led 23-22 after a scrappy first half, which featured 24 combined turnovers.
The Seminoles surged to a double-digit advantage midway through the second half as they held senior forward Mike Scott to just four points and forced him into three turnovers after the break. Scott finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds to lead Virginia.
Sophomore guard Joe Harris matched Scott with 16 points, and freshman guard Malcolm Brogdon added 10 points off the bench.
Florida State forced the Cavaliers into a season-high 20 turnovers, one more than the 19 the Seminoles committed. The Seminoles also dominated Virginia in bench scoring, 24-10, behind 13 points from sophomore forward Okaro White.
-compiled by Matt Welsh
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