Virginia returned Saturday to John Paul Jones Arena ready to play spoiler. After quashing Wake Forest’s tournament hopes Wednesday, it hoped to replicate that success on Senior Day against No. 13 Clemson.
Despite a strong first half, those hopes were quickly dispelled. Led by senior forward Ian Schieffelin, senior forward Viktor Lakhin and senior guard Jaeden Zackery, the Tigers (24-5, 16-2 ACC) showed how they had earned their ranking, demolishing the Cavaliers (14-15, 7-11 ACC) in the interior on their way to a 71-58 victory.
Clemson, which takes the fourth-most three-pointers in the ACC, seemed hesitant to shoot from distance, attempting only two in the first half and missing both, then shooting 1-8 from distance in the second. That might be attributable to stellar defense from junior guards Andrew Rohde and Isaac McKneely and senior guard Taine Murray, who suffocated the Tigers’ backcourt, but it might also be due to Coach Brad Brownell’s team’s ability to score inside.
Interim Coach Ron Sanchez noted Clemson’s experience after the game — its seven leading scorers are juniors, seniors or graduate students. That difference in experience, Sanchez said, is what caused problems for Virginia.
“Honestly, it’s inexperience,” Sanchez said. “We don’t have older guys in there trying to get the job done.”
Brownell agreed with that sentiment — he goes with what works, and when his team is this strong on the interior and the opponents so much younger, attacking the paint is a viable recipe for success.
That was visible throughout the first half, where, through the first 20 minutes of play, Clemson scored 20 of its 27 points in the paint, with five more coming from free throws. The Cavaliers led 32-27 at half, notably outrebounding the larger Tigers 25-18. McKneely’s 11 points led the game, with junior forward Elijah Saunders and sophomore guard Dai Dai Ames both also scoring with efficiency, logging six points apiece.
“I think that we played a fantastic first half,” Sanchez said. “Both on defense and offense. I think we played with a purpose. I think we played with energy. If we can take those 20 [minutes] and convert it into 40, it’s going to be great.”
Clemson picked up steam early in the second half, finding more success on the boards and attacking the rim with increased fervor. In the first six minutes of the half, the Tigers took the lead, scoring 12 points in the paint and one more off a free throw. At the same time, Virginia began to slow down, missing three-pointers and struggling to find extra passes for easy interior looks.
Dominant interior play by Schieffelin led the way for Clemson. Schieffelin, a stocky 6-foot-8 forward who is faster than most bigs and stronger than most guards, is a mismatch nightmare who the Cavaliers did not have an answer for.
“Schieffelin has been doing this for four years,” Sanchez said. “It’s not a first-year guy that’s going to stop him from doing that. He's done that against some of the best bigs in this conference.”
The Tigers continued to grow their lead, scoring their first three of the game and building the margin — first to six, then to eight, before a Rohde three-point shot cut the deficit to five points. A Saunders three-pointer then turned it into a one-possession game with 10 minutes to spare.
Clemson continued attacking the rim, finding consistent success on layups in traffic. Led by McKneely and Rohde, Virginia fired back but struggled to find the same shot quality as it had in the first half. The Tigers built their first double-digit lead of the game with 4:10 left on the clock, having outrebounded the Cavaliers 17-6 in the second half to that point while scoring 26 points in the paint.
From there, it was business as usual. Brownell’s side, riding a five-game win streak that included a win over No. 2 Duke, is accustomed to carving out leads and holding them. Virginia continued to try to block the Tigers from entering the paint, but to no avail. Clemson ultimately scored 48 of its 71 points in the paint, with another 18 coming from free throws
“Usually, we’re a good three-point shooting team. They did a good job on our threes,” Brownell said. “That’s part of what makes us good — we can do both, and some teams have trouble with that.”
Virginia’s past four games against high-level conference opposition have exposed its flaws on the interior — it was outrebounded in all four of those games. You cannot teach experience, Sanchez has said throughout the season. A sophomore and two freshmen making up the front court means that stronger veteran bigs will be able to impose their will on the interior.
Still, there are some strong positive signs. McKneely may have cooled down in the second half, but Rohde, Ames and Saunders all supplemented his play with strong offensive showings. The Tigers played strong defense, especially in the second half, so the Cavaliers’ ability to get offense out of its starters despite very strong opposition bodes well for its next couple of games.
Virginia’s final home game will be Tuesday at 9 p.m. against a Florida State team that has had a comparable season. The Cavaliers will then close out their season on the road at Syracuse, before traveling to Charlotte for the ACC Tournament.
Read More
No. 11 women’s lacrosse rides dominant offensive play to victory over California
By Peter Kratz | 18 hours agoVirginia's first ACC win was a lopsided one.
All-around dominance propels No. 10 Virginia baseball past Dartmouth
By Emory Huffman | 21 hours agoThe Cavaliers clinched the series victory.
No. 18 men’s lacrosse falters in second half, loses to No. 7 Johns Hopkins despite late flurry
By Sam Chun | 22 hours agoVirginia's best performance of the season proved to be barely not enough.
