No. 10 Virginia escapes No. 14 West Virginia in Jimmy V Classic
NEW YORK — Breaking down No. 10 Virginia's 70-54 victory against No. 14 West Virginia at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night in the Jimmy V Classic.
IN A NUTSHELL: Virginia appears to be, well, Virginia. Though the Cavaliers may not be as polished as they've been this early in the season in recent years, they appear to have the same winning formula down pat. We've become so accustomed to the Cavaliers suffocating opponents with their pack-line defense, and scoring just enough to pull away late with a slow, methodical yet efficient offensive attack. Without last year's star, Justin Anderson, who's in the NBA, this year's version of Virginia does have a few more kinks to work out on those fronts — but even so, the advanced stats indicate strong similarities to years' past. So does the eye test.
West Virginia controlled the game rather easily in the first half, leading the the way with its typically aggressive and gritty defense. But Anthony Gill (20 points, 12 rebounds on the night) single-handedly kept Virginia in the half, scoring 15 of the Cavs' 30 points and keeping them within striking distance, down six at the break. Then, point guard London Perrantes came alive after halftime. Virginia's poise and ballhandling down the stretch were also top-notch.
TURNING POINT: With just over 13 minutes left in the second half, West Virginia guard Jevon Carter stole the ball and led the Mountaineers on the break. Carter then tried to get a little too cute, trying a behind-the-back pass to a teammate in traffic. The pass was picked off by London Perrantes, who fed the ball to Malcolm Brogdon, who then found Perrantes for a 3-pointer that gave Virginia a 42-40 lead, an advantage it would never relinquish.
STAR POWER: Though his stat line was overshadowed by teammates, Perrantes deserves the spotlight after this one. Perrantes, who returned after missing two games due to an appendectomy, provided a huge spark in the second half, scoring all 13 of his points after halftime, one big shot after another. He didn't even attempt a shot in the first half.
KEY STAT: West Virginia led by as many as 12 points in the first half and ended up losing by 16 points. However, it wasn't a see-sawing, back-and-forth game by any means. There was just one lead change in the first half, and one in the second half.
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