The Virginia Cavaliers narrowly avoided a resume-tanking loss against the American Eagles on Sunday afternoon, winning 63-58 to move to 7-5 on the season. UVA struggled to convert easy looks for much of the game, shooting 7-for-17 (41.2%) on layups and 9-for-14 (64.3%) on free throws.
Meanwhile, American relied on the three ball to give the ‘Hoos a run for their money. The Eagles shot 41.7% from deep in the first half, but then slowed down a bit in the second by converting 31.6% of their looks from three. Matt Mayock (16 points, 4-for-5 from three) was the leading catalyst as American emphasized getting triples up early and often.
The Eagles scored 15 points in transition as Mayock, Colin Smalls, and Geoff Sprouse fired away from behind the arc. Their 31 three-point attempts are evidence of how mid-major opponents want to attack Virginia – and how they always have. At times, American simply made tough shots against good defense. There was also a fair share of open looks which came as a result of UVA being slow to rotate defensively.
Elijah Saunders and Taine Murray kept the Virginia offense afloat across the 40 minutes of action.
Saunders scored a career-high 21 points on 7-for-9 shooting from the field and an equally important 7-for-8 mark from the free throw line. He was the Cavaliers’ best player in this game. Against American’s zone in the first half, he found space to make plays for himself both from the perimeter and in the post. He put his diverse offensive skill set on display and bullied the Eagles in the paint, adding eight defensive rebounds to his final stat line.
Murray stayed hot on Sunday after scoring 14 against Memphis on Wednesday. The senior put up 13 versus American while canning three triples in the process. He’s been a steady veteran presence recently who has made shots for an offense that cannot rely on much else.
Virginia’s 7-0 run from the 3:13 mark to 1:48 remaining brought the ‘Hoos from down 51-49 to up 56-51 and in control of the game. A tough finish inside from Saunders and then a corner three from Murray gave the Cavaliers the lead proved to be the difference before those two combined to go 7-for-8 from the free throw line in the last minute to seal the victory.
This is not the type of win UVA would’ve been hoping for against an opponent like American. The Eagles have lost to Siena (No. 289 on KenPom), La Salle (No. 158), and High Point (No. 119) on the road by an average of 9.3 points. Virginia beating them by five is hardly an inspiring win.
Yet, avoiding a Quad 4 loss is also critical as it keeps a major blemish of Virginia’s resume. That’s not to say this team will make the NCAA Tournament – UVA will have to have a conference play turnaround like those that Tony Bennett piloted in the past to have a chance. But this keeps the ‘Hoos alive and, in a game like this, that’s the number one priority.
UVA is back in action next on New Year’s Eve Day against NC State in Charlottesville at noon. Until then, stay tuned to Streaking the Lawn for more coverage of this game and Virginia’s season thus far.
