With three seconds left in the first half, Stanford graduate guard Jaylen Blakes picked off an ill-advised pass by Virginia junior guard Andrew Rohde and drove down to the three-point line. One leap from behind the line and bank off the backboard later, and the three-point shot was good at the buzzer, sending the Cardinal (11-5, 3-2 ACC) into halftime with a 10-point lead over the Cavaliers (8-8, 1-4 ACC).
Such was life Saturday for Virginia, as it doubled the turnover total committed by its opponent and dropped a third consecutive ACC game by double digits.
Interim Coach Ron Sanchez noted the buzzer-beater by Blakes as a moment with lasting impact.
“We had the potential for a layup,” Sanchez said. “It was a turnover… That spilled over into the second half.”
For a program built upon defensive excellence, Saturday’s tilt was perhaps Virginia’s worst defensive showing yet. The Cavaliers allowed more than 80 points for the third time this season — something that never happened more than twice in one season during Tony Bennett’s tenure.
The turnover disparity played a major role in the blowout loss. Twelve turnovers led to 22 points off turnovers for Stanford, compared to a measly four for the Cavaliers.
Rebounds also cost Virginia. The Cardinal grabbed 34 rebounds, outpacing the Cavaliers’ 23. The offensive rebounding numbers painted a particularly vivid picture, as Virginia secured just six compared to 14 for Stanford. The turnovers and lack of rebounds proved to be too great an obstacle for the Cavaliers to overcome, as they never shrunk the deficit below nine points en route to another crushing loss.
For much of the first half, the Virginia offense actually seemed much more productive than it did in Wednesday’s loss to California. After scoring just three points Wednesday, junior guard Isaac McKneely posted a strong bounce-back performance, scoring 22 points to lead the team in scoring by a wide margin. Also helping drive the offense was freshman forward Jacob Cofie, who scored 11 points and grabbed five rebounds, three on the offensive glass.
Overall, though, there was little for Virginia fans to be excited about. Freshman guard Ishan Sharma made his first career start and played 32 minutes, but he managed just six points on two three-pointers — all of which came early in the first half. Junior forward Elijah Saunders, who entered Wednesday’s game on a strong scoring streak, notched nine points and recorded a team-worst three turnovers.
Virginia’s shooting percentages were actually quite respectable. The key issue, Sanchez emphasized, was the lack of rebounds, allowing Stanford to take 14 more shots.
“We’ve got to have more pride on the glass,” Sanchez said. “They got the second-chance points, and that really hurt us in the second half.”
A major driver of that disparity was Stanford senior forward Maxime Raynaud. The 7-foot-1 big man dominated the paint, grabbing 10 rebounds and scoring 24 points to lead the game. Sophomore guard Ryan Agarwal grabbed seven rebounds. Combined, Agarwal and Raynaud outpaced the Cavaliers in rebounds, despite Cofie and junior forward Blake Buchanan playing over 20 minutes each for Virginia.
As Virginia’s NCAA Tournament hopes continue to circle the drain, the Cavaliers will return to John Paul Jones Arena Wednesday after their excursion to the West Coast for a rematch with Southern Methodist. The first matchup between the teams did not go Virginia’s way, but the Cavaliers will hope for a much-needed win to snap a three-game skid. Coverage will begin at 9 p.m. on ACC Network.
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