No. 6 Virginia pulled off an absolutely wild 87-83 comeback win against Maryland, flipping an 11-point halftime deficit on its head to stay perfect at 5-0. This wasn’t just any road game either; it was their first away from home all season, hitting the Xfinity Center for game two of a four-game series against the Terrapins. Talk about a gut check.
The Road Trip From Hell… Until It Wasn’t
For the first 20 minutes, man, almost nothing went right for the Cavaliers. Coming off a 34-point rout of Bucknell just three days prior, and playing their third game in six days and fifth in 11, UVA looked gassed and rattled. They were 5-of-17 from the field, missed easy layups, and coughed up the ball eight times. It felt like every possession was a foul, sending Maryland to the charity stripe a whopping 24 times in the half, where the Terps drained 19 of them. To make things worse, Virginia couldn’t hit a three until late in the half. The 16,908 near-capacity crowd at Xfinity Center was absolutely feeding off it, and Maryland closed the half with a dagger three, putting them up 47-36 at the break. It looked bleak.
‘Hoos Flipped the Switch: 51 Points, Pure Domination
But then, Virginia came out of the locker room and just flipped a switch. The second half was a completely different story. The ‘Hoos were on fire, shooting an incredible 20-of-26 from the field and outscoring Maryland 51-36. They controlled the paint, dropping 34 of their 51 second-half points inside. Maryland’s defense just had no answer for Virginia’s pick-and-roll offense. Sam Lewis kept turning the corner off Thijs De Ridder screens, while Chance Mallory was finding Johann Grünloh for easy lobs. The comeback wasn’t a smooth ride, though. Lewis had a couple of turnovers trying to bring the ball up and missed two dunks that could have given them the lead sooner. Maryland even hit a deep three late in the shot clock to save themselves when the lead was down to four. But Virginia just kept coming, getting the next stop every time. Finally, Mallory hit a step-back three, giving Virginia its first lead since early in the first half. They only led for 20 percent of the game, but they took the lead when it counted most.
Virginia moves to a perfect 5-0, while Maryland drops to 1-2 in Buzz Williams’ second season. This win also means the Cavaliers have now won 10 of their last 11 meetings against the Terrapins. Talk about owning a rivalry! This early season grit, coming back from 11 down on the road, against a packed house? That’s the kind of performance that shows what this UVA squad is really made of.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply