#3 UVA escapes, wins in OT at #23 NC State, 66-65

Third-ranked UVA overcame a season-high 16 turnovers, escaping Raleigh with a 66-65 win over #23 NC State in overtime Tuesday night.

The ‘Hoos (19-1, 7-1 ACC) never really looked sharp, even when they opened the second half on a 15-5 run that pushed a four-point halftime lead to 14, at 42-28, on a Ty Jerome three-pointer with 12:13 left.

A 13-3 Wolfpack run over the next 4:13 cut the deficit to four, and after Virginia got the margin back out to seven on a Kyle Guy layup with 4:37 to go, State (16-5, 4-4 ACC) held the Cavaliers scoreless for the next 3:30.

A pair of Wyatt Walker free throws tied the game at 53. A Braxton Key layup gave Virginia a 55-53 lead with 1:07 to go, but the game would get knotted up again, at 55, on a pair of free throws by Markell Johnson, after an offensive rebound, with 28 seconds left.

Jerome held for a final shot, but his runner in the lane missed, and the game went to OT.

State took its first lead of the game on the opening possession of the extra period on a Johnson three.

Virginia tied the game on an and-one three by Jay Huff, who scored on an alley-oop dunk on a nice pass from Key and was fouled.

A three by Guy, his first of the night, broke a 61-61 tie with two minutes left and put Virginia ahead by three.

After a Guy miss with 19.9 seconds left, the Pack had the ball with a chance to tie the game, but coach Kevin Keatts, in a timeout, drew up a play for a two, a Braxton Beverly jumper with eight seconds left.

De’Andre Hunter made a pair of free throws with 5.2 seconds left to put Virginia back up by three, at 66-63.

Hunter contested a three-point attempt by Johnson with nine-tenths of a second left, and the shot missed, but Hunter was assessed for a foul, giving Johnson three free throws and a chance to send the game to a second OT.

Johnson, though, missed the first. After making the second, UVA coach Tony Bennett called timeout to set his blockout defense.

Johnson, then, attempting to miss the third to give his team a chance for a game-tying tip-in, inadvertently made his third free-throw attempt.

Virginia inbounded the ball, and the clock ran out.

UVA shot 46.2 percent from the floor (24-of-52) and was 4-of-10 (40 percent) on threes.

The 16 turnovers, aforementioned, came in a relatively low-possession game, on 67 possessions.

State had a 17-10 advantage in points off turnovers, and a 14-2 edge in fast-break points.

The Pack shot just 34.4 percent (22-of-64) from the floor and was 7-of-26 shooting (26.9 percent) from three-point range.

Hunter led Virginia with 15 points (4-of-8 FG, 6-of-8 FT, five rebounds, four assists, four turnovers, 38 minutes).

Jerome had 12 points (5-of-11 FG, 2-of-4 from three, six rebounds, six assists, four turnovers, 41 minutes).

Guy added 10 (3-of-11 FG, 1-of-5 from three, six rebounds, three assists, two turnovers, 40 minutes).

Story by Chris Graham