The UVA Basketball team (14-15, 7-11 ACC) hosts Florida State (16-13, 7-11 ACC) in JPJ on Tuesday (9 p.m. ET, ACCN).
This one is the home finale for the 2024-2025 season.
It’s also probably the final home game in the Tony Bennett Basketball era.
We know it’s the final visit to JPJ for FSU coach Leonard Hamilton, who is stepping down at the end of the season.
First half
First media timeout: UVA 11, FSU 8, 14:00/1st
Virginia has three made threes, one from Isaac McKneely, two from Dai Dai Ames, who was left wide open on both of his looks.
All four of FSU’s buckets are in the paint: one at the rim, and three paint jumpers.
Second media timeout: UVA 13, FSU 10, 11:21/1st
Not much new to report. The game didn’t have a lot of flow over that short stretch.
Third media timeout: UVA 24, FSU 23, 6:33
Virginia went through a 5:07 scoreless streak, and now has 11 points in the last 1:59.
Andrew Rohde hit a pair of open threes, then snuck behind the D for a backdoor layup, off a nice pass from Blake Buchanan, who has three assists.
Fourth media timeout: FSU 25, UVA 24, 4:24/1st
Odd play there – UVA was called for a shot-clock violation on a missed dunk by Anthony Robinson, who apparently just airballed the dunk.
The officials reviewed it and upheld the call, so, wow.
Airballed a dunk.
Half: FSU 28, UVA 27
After the mini-flurry, Virginia went another 6:10 stretch without a point.
So, a 5:07 stretch, and a 6:10 stretch.
Ugh.
Both teams were 1-for-their-last-9 to finish the half.
Ugh.
The four UVA bigs combined for two points on 1-of-6 shooting, including an airballed dunk, and six rebounds in 37 minutes.
FSU had seven offensive rebounds (Virginia: 11 defensive rebounds) and scored 20 points in the paint.
Second half
First media timeout: UVA 37, FSU 31, 15:39/2nd
Threes from Rohde and Ames, who both have 14 points now, fuel another mini-flurry.
Virginia is 7-of-16 from three.
Three offensive rebounds so far in the second half, leading to seven second-chance points.
Second media timeout: UVA 43, FSU 38, 12:10/2nd
All the sudden, getting some productivity from the bigs: Elijah Saunders has four points and three rebounds in the second half, and Buchanan has four points and two boards.
Third media timeout: UVA 47, FSU 46, 7:28/2nd
Virginia just endured another 4:31 scoreless stretch.
The odd thing about these stretches: it’s not that they’re missing open shots, it’s that they’re just running bad offense for minutes at a time.
You can live with missing good shots. I don’t know how you accept just plain bad offense.
Fourth media timeout: FSU 52, UVA 50, 3:49/2nd
Virginia, ahem, went to zone for one possession. FSU made a three on that one possession.
My bad.
Final: UVA 60, FSU 57
Andrew Rohde hit a shot-clock buzzer-beating three with 59 seconds left to break a 55-55 tie, and Dai Dai Ames hit both ends of a one-and-one with 6.1 seconds left, to lift Virginia to a 60-57 win over Florida State on Tuesday.
The numbers didn’t suggest a win for UVA (15-15, 8-11 ACC). FSU had 16 offensive rebounds, forced 14 Virginia turnovers, had a combined 29-19 advantage in second-chance points and points off turnovers, and a 30-16 advantage in points in the paint.
The ‘Hoos also had to endure four lengthy scoreless stretches.
The one number in UVA’s favor was good shooting from three – 11-of-24 (45.8 percent).
Dai Dai Ames had another big night – 18 points (6-of-11 FG, 3-of-4 3FG, 3-of-4 FT).
Rohde had 17 points (6-of-15 FG, 4-of-8 3FG, 1-of-1 FT), and Elijah Saunders had 12 (4-of-6 FG, 3-of-4 3FG, 1-of-2 FT), 10 in the second half.
FSU (16-14, 7-12 ACC) got 18 points from Jamir Watkins (7-of-18 FG).
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Chris Graham
