Virginia lets it fly handing Syracuse it’s sixth loss in last seven games
CHARLOTTESVILLE, V.A. — The 18th ranked Virginia Cavaliers came into Saturday’s matchup against Syracuse as the third best offensive rebounding team in the country, and they secured 17 more on route to a 72-59 victory against the Orange.
The Cavaliers took 30 threes in the game, and while they only made ten of them, the offensive rebounds the Cavaliers grabbed on their misses generated second chance opportunities that helped them improve to 20-3 on the season.
“They know and understand how impactful [offensive rebounding] can be for our overall game and offense in particular,” said Virginia head coach Ryan Odom after the game.
On the other side, the Orange were led by 19 points from point guard Nait George, who finished eight of nine shooting on the day, as well as 13 apiece from JJ Starling and Nate Kingz.
But at the end of the day, the second chance points generated by UVA fueled them to victory.
“We just have to turn around and box out,” said Starling after the game.
“They just got more opportunities because of their offensive rebounds, and I think that was the key that separated them from us,” said Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry.
For Autry’s Orange early on, it was a two man show offensively. George scored eight of the team’s first twelve points but was in foul trouble early and had to go to the bench. Starling scored four points in the early going as well but needed to take a breather.
When those George and Starling were off the floor, Syracuse turned to the leading scorer from Monday to put up the most shots, but forward Donnie Freeman really struggled from the floor on Saturday.
Freeman finished the game with a mere five points and only made two of his eleven attempted shots. His frustration boiled over after one of his two made shots, as he screamed at the official pleading he was fouled and was given a technical foul. This tech fueled Virginia, and their lead quickly extended to twelve.
“I thought [Virginia’s] physicality really bothered our front court today,” said Autry.
It felt as if this might be another game where it would get ugly, but Syracuse ended the first half strong. With George and Starling back in there, Syracuse would go on a 13-2 run to tie the game at 33 right before the break and would trail by only three at halftime with the score 38-35.
Syracuse would keep it close for a good portion of the second half as well, but then another mistake from Donnie Freeman ignited the Cavaliers.
Coming out of a media timeout down 48-44, Freeman turned the ball over attempting to inbound it to George as Virginia ran the full-court press over the course of the entire game. That turnover led to a three from Sam Lewis, who led Virginia with 16 points on the day, and an eruption inside the John Paul Jones Arena.
From that point forward, Virginia would never surrender the lead. The Orange would show a bit of fight late, but would never get closer than four, and did not make a shot for almost three minutes to end the game.
“The turnovers and the defense got the game further than what it should have been, but it was those momentum plays that really killed us,” said Kingz.
One name that was not etched into the box score, and a subplot that was generated from the game was that freshman Kiyan Anthony did not see the floor for the first time this season.
“There are no injuries he is dealing with, this was my decision,” said Autry.
Autry’s decision will raise questions moving forward, but for now, Syracuse soaks up its sixth loss in its last seven games and will return home for a two-game homestand against SMU and California this week.