John Paul Jones Arena boasted a sparse yet impressively orange crowd Wednesday night. The fans and students who made the trip to JPJ for the matchup against No. 21 Memphis were treated to a thrilling basketball game, the most thrilling of the season for Virginia. Adding to the excitement were the Ralph Sampson-esque retro orange jerseys, appearing for the first time since 2010.
Ultimately, though, the fans were left disappointed and frustrated yet again as the Cavaliers (6-5, 0-1 ACC) fell 64-62. Virginia did not go down easily, twice clawing back after devastating late three-point shots by the Tigers (9-2, 0-0 AAC). But, down by four points with nine seconds remaining, sophomore guard Dai Dai Ames squandered the Cavaliers’ final opportunity to complete the comeback, as his drive to the hoop drained the clock. The loss was Virginia’s third in its last four games and its fourth against a ranked opponent this season. Still, this was far from a blowout.
“I’m encouraged by their efforts,” Interim Coach Ron Sanchez said.
The Cavaliers started the game promisingly enough, taking a slim lead that grew to as many as 11 points. They led 30-21 at halftime.
But it was a tale of two halves. Virginia played strong team defense and held Memphis to 28.6 percent shooting. The Tigers also went 2-14 from behind the three-point line in the first half, often handing the ball to Virginia following fruitless possessions.
After the half, Memphis hit its stride, connecting on three three-pointers. It was not exactly an offensive onslaught, but the combination of consistent scoring and stronger defense gave the Tigers their first lead of the game with about 12 minutes remaining.
The most telling statistic was the turnovers. The Cavaliers, in the first half, capitalized upon Memphis’s careless guard play — forcing seven of an eventual 12 Memphis turnovers in the first half and six times turning those turnovers into buckets. The Cavaliers lived by the sword, and then they died by it. They committed 11 total turnovers, with seven coming in the second half.
Several of those turnovers resulted directly from Memphis’s full-court press. Junior guard Andrew Rohde often looked overwhelmed in the face of pressure, as two guards repeatedly trapped Rohde in the corner, forcing errant passes and turnovers.
Granted the gift of extra possessions and powered by sophomore guard PJ Haggerty’s 27-point showing, the Tigers never relinquished their second-half lead. Unlike Virginia’s last loss against Southern Methodist, though, the Cavaliers never allowed Memphis to significantly extend its advantage, keeping the game close and giving the Virginia faithful hope.
Indeed, despite the loss, there remained reason for enthusiasm. The Virginia offense was powered by nine different scorers, an impressive distribution. Junior forward Elijah Saunders led the Cavaliers with 15 points, followed closely by senior guard Taine Murray, whose 14 points tied his career high. Murray created offensive opportunities out of thin air on several occasions, submitting his best performance of the season with his parents present in the crowd.
“There’s been highs and lows, but I obviously love being a Virginia Cavalier,” Murray said. “We’re all growing together. I can see us peaking at the right time, when it matters.”
Sanchez expressed his pride in Murray’s performance and acknowledged how special it is to have a senior contributing in the current era of college basketball.
“The days of the fourth-year guy are kind of behind us,” Sanchez said. “To have a fourth-year guy perform that way on this stage, who has been waiting his turn to perform, is enjoyable for me. The game rewards hard playing, and today he was rewarded by doing that.”
At several moments, it felt as if Memphis had put the game out of reach — hitting a key three-point shot to extend the lead, corralling a deflating offensive rebound and benefitting from a technical foul committed by Virginia. Each time, the Cavaliers punched back.
“We endured,” Sanchez said. “This team is on its journey to becoming the best version of itself. What it’s gonna be, I don’t know. Time will tell.”
That sentiment rings true. Virginia has dropped all five of its games against ranked and major conference opponents thus far. On occasion, it has hung with more talented opponents — more often, though, these games have been non-competitive. There have been moments of improvement and moments of frustration, and expectations for this team, this season, remain cloudy.
The immediate future of Virginia basketball will begin to come into focus with the dawn of ACC play. Before the beginning of conference action, though, the Cavaliers will have one more non-conference opportunity, at home Sunday against American. The game will air at 2 p.m. on ACC Network.
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