Shooting Struggles Continue for Virginia in 66-64 Loss at Miami
Just the idea that Virginia had a chance to tie the game in the final moments was mind-boggling considering the Cavaliers' glaring inability to execute on the offensive end for nearly the entire game. Thus, rather than seeming like a missed opportunity, it was actually fitting that the game ended with Virginia unable to get a game-tying shot attempt off as Reece Beekman lost control of the ball as he drove to the basket and time expired.
To their credit, the Cavaliers never resigned to defeat even when none of their shots were falling and they trailed by as many as 15 points. UVA fought hard and cut the deficit to just one at multiple points, but the rally came up just short as No. 6 Virginia fell at No. 22 Miami 66-64 on Tuesday night in Coral Gables.
Jayden Gardner opened the game with a mid-range jumper on the first possession, but UVA would then endure a four-minute scoring drought, which Miami took advantage of to go on a 12-0 run. The Cavaliers were uncharacteristically vulnerable in their transition defense, as Isaiah Wong routinely got to the rim or created open shots for his teammates by pushing the ball quickly up the floor off of defensive rebounds. Tony Bennett had to take a timeout less than three minutes into the game and was livid with his team for the early defensive breakdowns.
Three-pointers from Kihei Clark and Ben Vander Plas helped Virginia get right back into the game, but the Cavaliers went ice cold again, going on another lengthy scoring drought which allowed Miami to put together a 12-2 run to open up a 14-point lead.
Virginia was able to get back within six points, but Miami scored the last two buckets of the half and took a 36-26 lead into the halftime break. The Cavaliers were lucky to only be down ten points, as Virginia was 2/9 from three and 10/29 (34.5%) from the floor in the first half.
UVA had no answer for Isaiah Wong, as a still injury-hampered Reece Beekman struggled to keep him away from the basket. Wong has always been a gifted scorer, but his passing abilities have developed significantly this season. He dished out five assists against Virginia to go along with his game-high 24 points on 7/13 shooting and six rebounds.
Virginia's shooting struggles continued coming out of halftime as the Cavaliers went more than five minutes without scoring to start the second half. Miami's defense deserves some credit, but UVA had plenty of good looks, including back-to-back wide open threes missed by Vander Plas and Armaan Franklin, who went 0/7 from the floor and scored zero points, and three-consecutive missed free throws from Jayden Gardner. Miami built a lead as large as 15 points and the only reason Virginia didn't fall behind by more than that is because UVA started to tighten up on defense.
The Hurricanes went on a four-minute scoring drought, allowing Virginia to go on a run sparked by a three-pointer from Isaac McKneely. The true freshman did not have his best shooting game, making just one of his nine field goal attempts, but gave UVA strong contributions as he played a season-high 31 minutes. McKneely finished with five points, five rebounds, three assists, and a steal and had the best +/- of any Virginia player at +21.
Ben Vander Plas was the offensive catalyst for the Cavaliers getting back into the game. He got a fortunate bounce on a corner three and was fouled on the shot, resulting in a four-point play to cut the deficit to seven points. Vander Plas then hit back-to-back three-pointers from the left wing to draw UVA to within one. After turning in his worst performance of the season in an 0/7 scoreless effort against Houston on Saturday, Vander Plas bounced back in a big way in Miami, scoring 15 of his team-high 20 points in the second half and knocking down four of Virginia's six three-pointers.
UVA couldn't quite get over the hump to take the lead as Nijel Pack stopped the bleeding with a jumper and then Vander Plas missed a heat-check three-pointer on the next possession. Miami got the game back under control after that and managed to push the lead back to nine points with just under four minutes to play on a transition layup from Wong.
The Hurricanes led by ten points with just over a minute left and the remainder of the game seemed to be a formality at that point. What Virginia did in the final minute of the contest is perhaps the brightest takeaway from the loss.
Reece Beekman, still hobbled by a hamstring injury that has kept him at under 100% for the last several games, grabbed an offensive rebound and laid it in plus a foul. He missed the ensuing free throw, but Vander Plas was there for the putback for a four-point possession. Miami's Joseph Bensley missed the front end of a one-and-one and then UVA scored on an open dunk from Vander Plas off a feed from Beekman to make it 61-57 with 43 seconds left. UVA fans certainly had to wonder at that point where this offensive execution was for the previous 39 minutes.
Miami turned the ball over on the ensuing inbounds play as Kihei Clark tipped the pass into the air and forced a held ball with the possession arrow favoring Virginia. UVA was patient on that possession and got a great look as Kihei Clark came around a screen and drove unencumbered to the basket for an open layup, making it a two-point game with 26 seconds left.
The Hurricanes finally regained their composure after that, and not a moment too soon as an 8-0 run had the Cavaliers on the brink of stealing a game they had no business winning. Jordan Miller hit a pair of free throws and then Isaiah Wong did the same after Beekman made a reverse layup.
With just five seconds left and trailing by four points, Clark used a pump-fake to draw a foul on Wong as Clark was attempting a three-pointer. Clark made all three free throws to make it a one-point game.
Nijel Pack was fouled and made 1/2 free throws, giving Virginia an unbelievable opportunity to tie the game with a two-pointer or even win it with a three. UVA inbounded the ball to Reece Beekman, who, perhaps unable to move at full speed due to the hamstring strain, took the ball almost too casually down the court with the game's final four seconds ticking off the clock. He attempted to drive on Isaiah Wong, but lost control of the ball on his way to the basket and time expired without Virginia attempting a game-tying or game-winning shot.
The final play will certainly eat at Beekman for a long time, but he once again delivered an admirable performance despite his condition. Beekman finished with a near triple-double with 10 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists.
The notable silver lining of this outcome is that despite turning in another horrendous shooting performance on the road against a ranked ACC opponent, Virginia was still just one or two plays away from winning the game. This is still a good basketball team capable of beating anyone.
On the other hand, Virginia's drop-off in three-point shooting has reached a critical juncture at which it can no longer be classified as a downward trend, but rather the expected standard. After shooting a blistering 51.6% from three through the first three games of the season, the Cavaliers have shot 28.8% (36/125) in the seven games since then. UVA is still generating quality open looks from three, the shots just aren't falling. Ten games into the season, Virginia is now shooting 36.5% from three as a team. It is starting to look more and more like three-point shooting is not a difference that explains why Virginia is better this season than last, but rather a common weakness between the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 Cavaliers that will ultimately prevent this team from becoming great.
Fortunately for the Hoos, they have another eight days before their next game to try to shake themselves out of the shooting slump. Now 8-2 and 1-1 in ACC play, Virginia hosts Albany in the final non-conference game of the season on Wednesday, December 28th at 6pm at John Paul Jones Arena.
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