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Live Coverage: #6 Virginia hosts Boston College in Saturday ACC Hoops action

Chris Graham
uva basketball
Photo: UVA Athletics

It’s way too early to be playing basketball. Whoever thought this noon tip was a good idea, not my favorite person.

But anyway, here we are, with sixth-ranked Virginia (15-3, 7-2 ACC) hosting Boston College (10-11, 4-6 ACC).

The local TV is MASN. Not ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, not even ACCN.

Anyway.

And I’m here, in need of caffeine, but here.

Late first media timeout

Oddity of lack of dead balls: we don’t get the first TV timeout until the 11:38 mark.

Boston College leads 18-17. Quentin Post, BC’s leading scorer coming in, already has 14 points, on 4-of-5 shooting from the floor, 2-of-3 from three, 4-of-4 at the line.

The bulk of that came after Tony Bennett subbed out Ben Vander Plas at the 16:35 mark after BVP picked up his first foul. Bennett went with Francisco Caffaro, who got torched.

Post had four free throws at that point. The 10 points from the field came on Caffaro.

The Ryan Dunn Show

Dunn has a spectacular follow dunk on a Kihei Clark miss, and a much more spectacular dunk on an alley-oop pass from Reece Beekman.

Then, he chase-blocked a TJ Bickerstaff fast-break dunk.

Nice.

Virginia still only up 26-23 at the 6:13 mark.

Shooting

BC started 7-of-9 from the field. They’re one for their last eight.

Little bit of separation?

Virginia up 33-25 at the 3:14 media timeout. Post has 16 for BC, and no one else has more than three.

UVA is 13-of-26 from the floor, but just 2-of-11 from three.

‘Hoos are 5-of-7 at the rim and 6-of-8 on two-point jumpers.

That last number is an anomaly.

Half

Virginia 35, Boston College 27.

Virginia was 14-of-30 (46.7%) from the floor and 2-of-11 from three.

BC was 10-of-25 (40%) from the floor and 3-of-8 from three.

Quentin Post had 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting (2-of-4 from three) to lead BC.

Armaan Franklin had 10 (3-of-6 FG, 1-of-4 3FG) to lead UVA.

Gardner is having a day

Jayden Gardner had eight points in the first half. He has eight points in the first 4:37 of the second half.

Gardner with 16 (7-of-9 FG) and six boards.

Virginia leads 50-36 at the 15:23 media timeout.

Seems that somebody has been feeling the heat from Ryan Dunn’s stellar play of late.

BC is hanging around

BC is on a 7-2 run over the last 3:31 to get the margin to nine, at 52-43, at the 11:52 media timeout.

Separation again

A 9-0 UVA run got the margin to 18, at 61-43, before a BC bucket and timeout at the 8:04 mark has it at 61-45.

Quiet assassin Reece Beekman has 11 points and eight assists.

Not hanging around anymore

Remember how BC was hanging around, how it was 52-43 UVA at the 11:52 media timeout?

Virginia has made 11 of its last 14 shots, four of them threes, and now it’s 76-51 at the 2:53 media TO.

There’s your Cavalanche.

Final

Virginia 76, BC 57

Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019, and Team of Destiny: Inside Virginia Basketball’s Run to the 2019 National Championship, and The Worst Wrestling Pay-Per-View Ever, published in 2018. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].