Cavs move into a 3-way tie for first place in ACC
CHARLOTTESVILLE — Virginia coach Tony Bennett had a simple message for his team after a poor defensive performance in a loss at Virginia Tech.
“Talk is cheap. Do it. Show us, to our players, to us as a staff, show up, work in practice, step between the lines and don’t lose yourself in anything but what your job is,” Bennett said he told his players and assistants in the two days of practice since the 74-68 loss.
The team clearly got the message.
Jayden Gardner scored 18 points, Reece Beekman added 15 and No. 8 Virginia cooled off red-hot No. 22 North Carolina State 63-50 on Tuesday night.
“We had a great two days before State — you know, preparation and just diving in,” Gardner said. “It’s just this is the time of the season we need to lock in, and you know we’re playing for something . ... We’re trying to win a championship.”
The Cavaliers (18-4, 10-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) handed the Wolfpack (19-6, 9-5) their second loss in 10 games and moved into a share of first place in the conference with Clemson and Pittsburgh.
The Wolfpack arrived leading the ACC with an average of 79.6 points and were 19-2 when scoring at least 70, but they became the 38th consecutive league opponent held below 70 points at John Paul Jones Arena.
“Obviously, as I watched the Virginia Tech game and knew that those guys dropped the game and, you know, any time you’re going to play a very good defensive team on their home floor, you know you’re going to get that energy,” North Carolina State coach Kevin Keatts said.
Terquavion Smith led N.C. State with 19 points and Casey Morsell, who spent his first two seasons at Virginia and was jeered nearly every time he touched the ball in his first game back, had 18 before fouling out in the final minute.
Jarkel Joiner, the Wolfpack’s No. 2 scorer at 16.2 points per game, missed 12 of his 14 shots and scored five points.
Reserve forward Kadin Shedrick, who did not play in Virginia’s loss at Virginia Tech on Saturday, had 10 points and six rebounds for the Cavaliers.
Virginia scored the first six points of the second half to open its largest lead at 40-20, but the Wolfpack began whittling away, fueled by a 12-6 burst in which Smith and Morsell both hit a pair of 3-pointers.
N.C. State twice closed within nine points but got no closer.
Virginia will host Duke on Saturday.