WELL-DESERVED REST
First-half burst enables Guy, fellow starters to get ready for Monday game
CHARLOTTESVILLE — Virginia’s Kyle Guy wasn’t about to turn down extra rest — not with his knees barking at him and a short turnaround trip Monday to Syracuse on the horizon. Making quick work of Pittsburgh on Saturday was the only hurdle standing between him and a breather.
He did his part, making five 3-pointers, and No. 2 U.Va.’s stout defense helped put Pitt in a big hole early on the Cavaliers’ way to a 73-49 victory. Guy led all scorers with 17 points and sparked a 21-2 first-half run, and each of ACC leader U.Va.’s starters ended up playing less than 30 minutes.
“My knees were bothering me a little bit (Saturday), so I was fine with it,” Guy said of his season-low 25 minutes of playing time. “Obviously, we’re competitors. (U.Va. guard) Ty (Jerome) is one of the most fierce competitors I know, so he really wanted to be out there, but we’re playing it smart. We’ve got a game (Monday) in less than 48 hours, so wind it down and (Sunday) we’re just trying to be smart.”
U.Va. (26-2, 14-2 ACC) shot 58.5 percent from the floor, limited Pitt to 38.6 percent, and the Cavaliers built a lead that never fell under 20 points in the second half. It was just the way U.Va. coach Tony Bennett was hoping to see the afternoon transpire against Pitt, which is last in the ACC.
“They did the job early, and they did it at the start of the second half,” Bennett said of his starters. “It was also a way to reward the (reserves) who work hard at practice, so, of course, to be able to do that was important. I like the way we came out defensively. I thought we were alert. I thought we were together in the way we needed to play.”
Clinging to an 11-10 edge with just more than
11 minutes left in the first half, U.Va. clamped down on Pitt (12-17, 2-14), forcing the Panthers into nine consecutive scoreless possessions that included four turnovers.
Guy, who was 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point range for the game, capitalized on Pitt’s troubles by connecting on all three of his first-half 3-pointers during a seven-minute stretch that saw U.Va. extend its lead to 32-12 with less than 4½ minutes left.
Jerome added 13 points for the game, while U.Va.’s De’Andre Hunter chipped in with 12 points and five assists.
With Guy dealing with sore knees, center Jack Salt enduring a back injury that limited him to less than eight minutes on the floor, Jerome recovering from a balky back of his own and freshman point guard Kihei Clark getting back to 100 percent after having December surgery on his wrist, the abbreviated day against Pitt came at a good time for U.Va.’s starters. Hunter was the last of the starters to exit the game, with 7:25 remaining.
Clark started for the third time in the last four games and didn’t commit a turnover for a fourth consecutive game, finishing with six points, four assists and two steals in 28 minutes.
He elicited animated praise from Bennett early in the first half. With U.Va. leading 8-6, Clark drew a charge from Pitt’s Xavier Johnson near the 3-point line as Johnson started his dribble toward the basket, accounting for one of the Panthers’ 15 turnovers.
Ending up on his rear end about 15 feet from U.Va.’s bench, Clark pumped his fist when the foul was called. Bennett responded with a fist pump of his own as he stepped onto the court toward Clark.
“It feels good,” Clark said. “I’m just doing my job, though. When I’m picking up the ball, and I’m playing good defense like that, I know the guys behind me are right there to help me when I do break down.”
Johnson and Trey McGowens came into the game as Pitt’s leading scorers, averaging 16.5 and 11.8 points per game, respectively, but they were held to a combined 1-of-10 field-goal shooting. Both players posted three points each.
Jared Wilson-Frame paced Pitt, which tried both zone and man-to-man to try to slow down U.Va., with 15 points. Au’diese Toney chipped in with 12 points and seven rebounds.
U.Va. outscored Pitt 28-16 on points in the paint and held a 25-24 rebounding advantage, marking the 13th time the Cavaliers have outrebounded an ACC opponent this season — the most in one season during Bennett’s 10 seasons in Charlottesville.
“It’s tough for us, but I think the numbers show that (U.Va. has) been tough for everyone, with the exception of one team,” Pitt coach Jeff Capel said regarding U.Va.’s defense shutting down his young team. “They’re a really good defensive team year in and year out. That’s a staple of their program. It’s what it’s built on, and they do it as well as anyone.”