Coming off a decisive road win over Texas, the Virginia Cavaliers (8-1) earned a statement 86-73 victory over the Dayton Flyers (7-3) on Saturday in Charlotte, North Carolina. The away game may as well have been in Charlottesville with a loud UVA presence in the stands, helping the ‘Hoos to carry their momentum despite a shaky first half.
The game’s headline is, without a doubt, Virginia guard Jacari White.
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White hit a perfect 9-9 from the field and 7-for-7 from three, tying Kyle Guy’s record for the most consecutive made three-pointers in a season. White totaled 25 points, four rebounds, and three assists. His presence was particularly clutch in the second half, fending off a Dayton come-back run.
Freshman Chance Mallory followed White’s lead with 12 points off the bench, plus a helpful four rebounds and four assists. De Ridder attempted only one field goal in the second half after a modest seven points to start the game.
It was a streaky game–with both teams fighting for an ever-shifting momentum.
Despite the final score, the first half was not picture perfect. Dayton came to play, showcasing an early full-court pressure that challenged Virginia’s composure. Virginia was outpaced early by Dayton’s speed, giving up a number of cuts to the basket. The game was scrappy from the jump. With turnovers, foul trouble for both teams, and stop-and-play between whistles, Virginia struggled to establish an offensive rhythm. Both teams ended the half in the double bonus.
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Freshman Johann Grunloh added a spark off the bench–hitting a three, tipping a pass for a forced turnover, and getting the and-one on the dump from De Ridder. Although not a perfect performance, Grunloh was a difference-maker on the court.
Dayton’s De’Shayne Montgomery contributed to a couple of hot streaks for the Flyers. After an almost six minute drought for the Flyers, Montgomery game in with back-to-back dunks on Tillis and Grunloh, respectively. Although he was called for the technical foul for taunting, it spoke to the streaky, momentum-shifting nature of the game – not to mention the competitiveness.
Dayton had the last bucket of the half and a buzzer-beater turnover to keep momentum in their favor, despite Virginia’s 37-33 lead. Of Virginia’s 21 turnovers, 12 of them were in the first 20 minutes. Both teams entered the second half with a chip on their shoulder.
The last 20 minutes started to turn in Virginia’s favor. While still riddled with turnovers, they fell into more of an offensive rhythm. The ‘Hoos, again, played unselfish basketball. Even with star shooting performance, the team showcased some textbook ball movement and consistently looked for the open man and open shot–something many long-term fans may be happy to see, only this time, with a faster (and maybe more fun) pace. Even when messy, the team is playing as a team–tallying a collective 21 assists against Dayton.
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But, that was matched by 21 team turnovers.
Despite Virginia’s growing double-digit lead in the second half (supported largely by White’s lights-out shooting), Dayton refused to let the game slip away. They choked up on the lead, going on a 14-0 run in less than three minutes, shortening the gap 74-67.
The ‘Hoos were able to get away, 86-73, for an important non-conference win.
