Written by Adrian Beecher
Orlando, FL - London Perrantes and Marial Shayok combined for 47 points to lead the Virginia Cavaliers to a 76-71 round 1 victory in the NCAA Tournament over UNC Wilmington. The win did not come easy, in the first half, the Seahawks had a 15 point lead on the Cavaliers. Here’s how it all went down.
Virginia won the tip and quickly got the scoring going with a bucket from Kyle Guy. UNC Wilmington answered quickly with a layup from Ambrose Mosley. This was the beginning of a slow-paced start to the game as both teams went back and forth. With 15:57 left to play The Cavaliers were up 5-4 on the Seahawks.
After being tied up at seven all, Denzel Ingram hit his second triple of the game to make it 10-7 Seahawks as they took their first lead of the game. This was the start of an 8-2 run that put UNCW up 15-9 with under 12 minutes left to play in the 1st half. After a bucket from the Cavalier’s the Seahawks went right back to work. This time it was an 8-0 run in just 1:14 to take a 23-11 as UNCW put a clinic on from behind the line.
The Seahawks were able to stretch their lead to 15 points in the first half as they went up 26-11. This effort was led by the dynamic duo of Ambrose Mosley and Denzel Ingram, whom both hit 3 of three triples for 6 three-pointers in the first 14 minutes of the game.
Despite the deficit, Virginia had no back down in them and as Devon Hall hit a jumper with 5:58 it was the start of an epic run for the Cav’s. They would cut the deficit to just two points over the next 2 minutes as they went on a 12-0 run to make it 28-26 with the Seahawks still clinging to their lead.
After that, it didn’t take long for the Cav’s to regain the lead as Darius Thompson put in a layup with 48 seconds left in the half to make it 30-29 Cavaliers. It marked a dramatic change in momentum as a 15-point lead for the Seahawks turned into a 1-point deficit going into the locker room at the half.
The Cav’s continued their run into the second half as Marial Shayok put in a quick layup for the 32-29 lead. Then it was the Seahawks getting their feet back under them as they were able to get back out in front with a 33-32 lead. That didn’t last long as London Perrantes hit a layup and an and 1. Then was Kyle Guy hitting the triple to make it 38-33 Cavaliers. This was a part of a continuous back and forth affair in the 2nd half.
A 7-0 run by UNC Wilmington put them up 40-38 before the Cav’s took the 42-40 lead. This went on for a while until UVA started to put a bit of distance between themselves and the Seahawks. With 7:43 left to play the Cav’s led 61-53. Wilmington would claw their way back and cut it to just 6:39 left to play as they capped a 7-0 run.
The Cavaliers pushed their lead back up to 7 as London Perrantes put in a layup with 4:39 left to play. However, this did not deter the Seahawks as they cut it quickly back to just 3 points with 3:37 left to play. The Seahawks continued as they might to get out in front of the Cavaliers and were able to cut it to just 2 points with 1:11 left to play, but their inability to hit from beyond the arch down the stretch played a catalyst for the loss.
In the end, it was a 76-71 UVA win as the Cavaliers advance to the second round to face the Florida Gators or East Tennessee State University on Saturday in Orlando.
Virginia won the tip and quickly got the scoring going with a bucket from Kyle Guy. UNC Wilmington answered quickly with a layup from Ambrose Mosley. This was the beginning of a slow-paced start to the game as both teams went back and forth. With 15:57 left to play The Cavaliers were up 5-4 on the Seahawks.
After being tied up at seven all, Denzel Ingram hit his second triple of the game to make it 10-7 Seahawks as they took their first lead of the game. This was the start of an 8-2 run that put UNCW up 15-9 with under 12 minutes left to play in the 1st half. After a bucket from the Cavalier’s the Seahawks went right back to work. This time it was an 8-0 run in just 1:14 to take a 23-11 as UNCW put a clinic on from behind the line.
The Seahawks were able to stretch their lead to 15 points in the first half as they went up 26-11. This effort was led by the dynamic duo of Ambrose Mosley and Denzel Ingram, whom both hit 3 of three triples for 6 three-pointers in the first 14 minutes of the game.
Despite the deficit, Virginia had no back down in them and as Devon Hall hit a jumper with 5:58 it was the start of an epic run for the Cav’s. They would cut the deficit to just two points over the next 2 minutes as they went on a 12-0 run to make it 28-26 with the Seahawks still clinging to their lead.
After that, it didn’t take long for the Cav’s to regain the lead as Darius Thompson put in a layup with 48 seconds left in the half to make it 30-29 Cavaliers. It marked a dramatic change in momentum as a 15-point lead for the Seahawks turned into a 1-point deficit going into the locker room at the half.
The Cav’s continued their run into the second half as Marial Shayok put in a quick layup for the 32-29 lead. Then it was the Seahawks getting their feet back under them as they were able to get back out in front with a 33-32 lead. That didn’t last long as London Perrantes hit a layup and an and 1. Then was Kyle Guy hitting the triple to make it 38-33 Cavaliers. This was a part of a continuous back and forth affair in the 2nd half.
A 7-0 run by UNC Wilmington put them up 40-38 before the Cav’s took the 42-40 lead. This went on for a while until UVA started to put a bit of distance between themselves and the Seahawks. With 7:43 left to play the Cav’s led 61-53. Wilmington would claw their way back and cut it to just 6:39 left to play as they capped a 7-0 run.
The Cavaliers pushed their lead back up to 7 as London Perrantes put in a layup with 4:39 left to play. However, this did not deter the Seahawks as they cut it quickly back to just 3 points with 3:37 left to play. The Seahawks continued as they might to get out in front of the Cavaliers and were able to cut it to just 2 points with 1:11 left to play, but their inability to hit from beyond the arch down the stretch played a catalyst for the loss.
In the end, it was a 76-71 UVA win as the Cavaliers advance to the second round to face the Florida Gators or East Tennessee State University on Saturday in Orlando.