Hauser, Murphy, McKoy carry Cavaliers past ‘Canes

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No. 21 Virginia 62, Miami 51

Sam Hauser scored 18 points and made 4 of his 9 attempts from beyond the 3-point line on senior night, but it was sophomore Justin McKoy who turned heads in 21 minutes of action and gave No. 21 Virginia a lift in its win over Miami on Monday at John Paul Jones Arena.

UVa stopped its losing skid at three games and won its ninth straight regular-season home finale. With the victory, Virginia clinched a top-four seed in the ACC tournament.

McKoy had 8 points, three rebounds (he finished with six), and two steals in the first half, nearly capping a solid showing off the bench with a half-court buzzer-beater that just rimmed out.

“[Justin] injected offensive rebounding, a couple of buckets, and just toughness and effort,” coach Tony Bennett said. “That was so lacking, so it was really important. That’s what this team needs, and he brought that.”

McKoy (right) again provided energy when it looked like the Wahoos (16-6, 12-4 ACC) were lacking in that department against the lackluster Hurricanes (7-16, 3-15), who fought hard but were woeful on defense in the first half and on offense in the second. McKoy went on a personal 6-0 run midway through the first 20 minutes to reclaim the lead for Virginia at 18-15 after Miami had gone up 15-12 following a back-and-forth first few minutes.

“I love [Justin’s] heart and his energy; it’s that way at practice,” Bennett said. “He started earlier in the year, and then he’s gone through a patch where he didn’t play as much, but his work ethic and his effort have never wavered. I like what I saw in him really the last couple of games and then some more in practice. I was really happy for Justin and his contributions to this game and hopefully moving forward.”
With the offense struggling recently, Bennett tried shaking things up by inserting Tomas Woldetensae into the starting lineup and removing Reece Beekman. The move seemed to work out at first with Woldo hitting Virginia’s first shot of the game, a 3-pointer.

But the Italian sharpshooter missed his other two attempts, allowed penetration early, and ended up playing just 15 minutes compared to 28 for Beekman. Woldo did add two rebounds, two steals, and an assist to his tally.
Beekman had a couple of nice takes to the rim for 4 points (his first game with multiple field goals since Feb. 10 at Georgia Tech), and also recorded four assists with zero turnovers. Additionally, Beekman played good defense on Miami’s leading scorer, Isaiah Wong (17.4 ppg, top five in the ACC), helping hold the sophomore to a 3-for-13, 10-point, four-turnover performance. The Hurricanes tallied 11 turnovers, compared to eight for Virginia.

“I thought Reece’s length bothered [Wong] at times,” Bennett said.

As a result of the starting lineup change, Beekman and Kihei Clark did not play together as often, and the change seemed to help. Beekman seemed more at ease as a substitute for Clark at point guard. Still, Bennett did play them together some, so we should expect to continue seeing that combo moving forward.

McKoy stood out because of how many rebounds he was getting, his hustle getting after loose balls, and his ability to tip passes. But the Cavaliers did look like they had a little more bounce in their step than they did against N.C. State, especially early.

After a combined 6 points on 3-for-7 shooting in the past two games, Trey Murphy III was at least more active in this contest, though he still struggled making shots. He hit an early triple and made a conscious effort to get to the rim, but he missed a tough left-handed layup to open the game. He finished with 12 points on 3-for-9 shooting, and did make 2 of 5 from deep. However, his last 3 was more of a desperation heave after Virginia ran a poor offensive set late in the second half (there were plenty). It was an important 3, though, because it boosted UVa back into a double-digit lead. The Rice transfer also had six boards, three assists, and two steals.

“He has to [be assertive],” Bennett said. “Every team plays you differently, so you have to account for that. There were a few more opportunities for him tonight, the way they were playing him. I liked some things he did defensively; I thought that was important. He grabbed some rebounds, he used his length, and then he got as aggressive as he could by using the drive a little more. He took some shots from 3 and stretched it, [and those were] good looks. I thought he had an important game, and he’s 3 for 9, but I thought those were, for the most part, quality shots.”

Hauser hit his four 3s at critical times. His first one with 4:34 remaining in the first half recaptured the lead for Virginia after it coughed up the advantage it gained during McKoy’s 6-0 burst. His second and third 3s came at the end of a 12-0 run late in the first half. And his final 3 was the dagger, putting UVa up 60-49 with 90 seconds left.
Hauser also posted six rebounds, two blocked shots for the first time as a ‘Hoo, one assist, and one rebound. He has been amazing for the team this season, and Bennett pointed out it was a shame he never got to hear the roar of the crowd this year after all of his big shots.

“We’ve worked so hard to establish this atmosphere [at JPJ],” Bennett said. “[The fans] have supported us with their energy. We had a real good record this year at home (10-1), but oh is it different. … I so wish Sam Hauser could have experienced that.”

Virginia’s 12-0 run was part of a larger 17-4 streak to close the first 20 minutes that saw UVa build a 41-30 edge by the time McKoy nearly hit his bomb from 45 feet. The 41 points were Virginia’s most in the first half of an ACC game this season. The Wahoos shot 14 for 29 from the field in the first half (48.3%), including 5 of 9 from beyond the arc. As the teams headed to halftime, it didn’t seem like Hauser’s 3s were going to be so important.

But Virginia’s great shooting dried up in the second half, when it made just 9 of 28 from the field (32.1%), including 3 for 13 from deep. In the first 10 minutes, the Cavaliers scored a measly 7 points. Luckily, Miami only had 10 itself, and UVa was able to “turn it on” and score 14 points in the second 10 minutes to “pull away.” (can you feel me rolling my eyes?)

The Wahoos had two bizarre fast-break sequences they somehow blew, one in each half, both of which really typified some of their recent struggles.

In the second half, Murphy was leading a 3-on-1 fast break from the right side with McKoy in the middle and Casey Morsell on the left. Rather than just take it up strong or dump it off to McKoy, Murphy threw an errant pass to Morsell that caused him to drift out wide to retrieve the ball. He found himself alone behind the 3-point line, and the look must have been tempting, but somehow he launched an air ball. He ended up with the rebound, drove in, and missed a 15-foot jumper. Oddly, the announcers ragged on Morsell for missing the 3 rather than going in for a layup, when it was clearly Murphy’s pass that was the problem.

But that fast break was an improvement over the atrocity from the first half, the likes of which I’ve maybe never seen before.

Clark was leading a 4-on-1 fast break with Hauser to his left and Murphy and Jay Huff behind him. Somehow, he dribbled the ball off his leg for a turnover. (Look at the picture; seriously, how does that happen??) That was his only one of the evening, but it was so bad, it felt like two or three (Miami did score a layup off it). Clark had a forgettable night, with 2 points on 1-for-4 shooting, though he did pitch in five assists, three boards, and a steal, and played some good defense on Wong as well.

Clark wasn’t the team’s only leader to have a subpar game.

Huff had one of his worst offensive outings on his senior night, going just 2 for 10 from the field, including 1 for 3 from beyond the arc, on his way to 7 points. The trey did come at a good time in the second half, though, ending a 7-0 Hurricanes run that cut the margin to 6. The fifth-year senior added seven rebounds and a block.

Bennett decided not to start Huff or Clark in the second half, going with McKoy and Beekman instead. And he was honest about their performances after the game.

“Jay didn’t have a particularly good game nor did Kihei, quite honestly, and that’s the reality,” UVa’s 12th-year coach said. “Those guys are a big part of this program, but for us to be good, they need to be ready and be sharp. … I didn’t feel like those guys were ready. … They got better in the second half, but we had to go with what was giving us life. … I’m always going to push those guys more. More efficient, more effort, more production, which they’ve done for a lot of this season, and tonight it wasn’t there.”
Ultimately, though it was far from a complete bounce-back effort, the Cavaliers eked out enough baskets down the stretch to keep the Hurricanes at bay. Miami never got closer than 6 points.

During the second half, the ‘Hoos went inside to Hauser once, and he hit an easy turnaround in the lane. I wish they would go to him close to the basket more often, because it is such a high percentage shot for him.

Morsell had 2 points in the second half on an up-and-under layup following a nice quick move around a Miami defender, and he also had one block. He usually looks pretty good  attacking, and I’d like to see him do that more. As I alluded to earlier with the back-to-back misses, his jump shot has not been good recently after showing improvement early in the season.

In addition to McKoy, Francisco Caffaro again saw the court in the first half. He made both of his free throws, one dunk, and grabbed three rebounds in just eight minutes. He doesn’t do all the little things as well as Jack Salt did, but Caffaro is more of a threat on the low block than Salt was and is a decent option if the ‘Hoos are in need of a bucket.

For the game, Virginia shot 40.4% from the field, 36.4% on 3s (8 for 22), and went 8 for 9 from the line. Miami shot 38.5% from the field, 26.7% beyond the arc (4 for 15), and went 7 for 8 at the line. The Hurricanes were led by 14 points from Kameron McGusty, 12 from Elijah Olaniyi, and 8 points and 10 boards from Anthony Walker. Wong had seven assists. UVa won the rebounding battle, 35-32.
At the end of the game, Bennett was able to get in walk-on senior and Charlottesville local Austin Katstra, which was great to see, but it’s too bad he didn’t get a shot off or hear the crowd chant his name. He set a nice pick for Chase Coleman, though, who flew in untouched for a layup. Coleman then picked up a foul on purpose so that Woldetensae could get the traditional senior curtain-call exit from the game.

“Senior night is for the fans to show their appreciation for the young men that have been in this program, whether it’s two years, five years in Jay’s case, four years for Austin, and all those guys,” Bennett said. “This crowd at times wills us to play harder, which is needed for this group, and it just kind of motivates you, and it shouldn’t always be that way, but I’ll tell you, [the fans] have done that for us, time and time again. That part is missing, but especially on senior day, so that’s my biggest regret of this season.”
It was a brutal win, not really one that builds much confidence for future games. Virginia is lucky it wasn’t facing a better opponent. But I suppose it is worth noting that the Cavaliers have really struggled against the ‘Canes the past few seasons. Heck, this was the first time in five games the ‘Hoos scored 60 against the Hurricanes (2016 ACC tournament semifinals, 73-68). Two years ago, the national championship team managed just 56 points in a 10-point win.

Virginia closes the regular season at Louisville on Saturday. With the way the team has looked, I’m expecting a loss, but hoping to be surprised. The Cardinals will be hungry to get a victory on their senior day to boost their NCAA tournament resume.

Louisville will be without senior center Malik Williams, who has been dealing with a foot injury all season that has limited him to just three contests. Against Duke, North Carolina, and Notre Dame, he averaged 5 points and six rebounds. Last year, he averaged 8.5 points and 6.1 boards. In Louisville’s win over Virginia last season, he recorded 13 points and six rebounds. In UVa’s victory over the Cardinals at JPJ, he had no points and no rebounds in seven minutes.

Photo credits: Screenshots by me

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