Fishburne Military School alum Teven Jones was on the floor for two key stretches of UVa.’s upset win over #3 Duke Thursday night. The 73-68 win and the court-storm response of Virginia fans will be memories of a lifetime for the redshirt freshman.
“Amazing, amazing. I’ve never experienced anything like that. Getting a big win against Duke at home, then the students rushing the court, it’s crazy. But the way we prepared, we went hard, and we worked hard and earned it,” said Jones, a 2012 FMS postgraduate alum.
Jones spelled senior point guard Jontel Evans at two stretches. He scored three points on 1-of-2 shooting from the floor and 1-of-2 shooting from the free-throw line on the night.
The game was tight throughout, so the pressure was on Jones to help the Cavs maintain the lead against the Blue Devils as Evans got his rests.
“We were in the huddle at the timeout, and Coach McKay just pulled me to the side and said, Just run the team, don’t do anything extra, just run the team,” Jones said.
Jones started several games in November and December in Evans’ absence and helped propel the team on an early eight-game winning streak that turned the UVa. season around after a 1-2 start.
The Duke win “means a lot” considering how the season started for Virginia, Jones said.
“Those losses really put us in a bind. Getting this win means a lot to our chance to get in the tournament,” Jones said.
The W was also the 20th of the season for the ‘Hoos, but their work is not done yet, not by a long shot.
“We celebrated in the locker room a little bit. But then we’re like, This is a big night, it’s good to celebrate, but it’s back to business tomorrow. We’ve got to beat Boston College. Maryland beat Duke at home and then went and lost at Boston College. We can’t do that,” Jones said.
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