Virginia digs out of 14-point hole to defeat NC State

Field Level Media|published: Tue 31st December, 14:27 2024

Dec 18, 2024; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Ron Sanchez gestures to his team from the bench against the Memphis Tigers in the first half at John Paul Jones Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Elijah Saunders scored 22 points and Isaac McKneely added 14 as Virginia rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit to beat North Carolina State 70-67 on Tuesday in Charlottesville, Va.

Andrew Rohde scored nine of his 11 points after halftime for the Cavaliers (8-5, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who led by 10 with four minutes left before holding off a late flurry by the Wolfpack (8-5, 1-1).

Jayden Taylor tallied 14 points to lead NC State, while Brandon Huntley-Hatfield and Marcus Hill each netted 12.

The Wolfpack drew within three points in the final minute and had a chance to tie after Saunders' missed free throw with three seconds left, but Michael O'Connell's long-distance heave was well short.

Virginia trailed 43-29 just over a minute into the second half before Saunders scored the first nine points of a rally that helped the Cavaliers pull even at 46 with 13:04 to play. The teams traded the next few points before Ishan Sharma's 3-pointer sparked a decisive eight-point run that vaulted Virginia ahead 59-51.

The Cavaliers shot 56.5 percent in the second half while hitting seven of their nine 3-pointers in the game, while the Wolfpack shot just 33.3 percent and went 2-for-12 from distance after the break.

NC State jumped ahead 19-13 following an 8-0 run that included 3-pointers from O'Connell and Breon Pass. The margin reached double digits on Taylor's free throws that made it 29-19 with eight minutes left in the first half.

Taylor hit the Wolfpack's sixth triple for a 34-23 lead before the hosts buried their first two treys to cut the deficit to five at the 2:51 mark. NC State churned out five straight points to lead 39-29 at the break.

The Wolfpack made their first two field-goal attempts of the second half to go up by 14 points, but their offense suddenly stalled as Virginia roared back.

Saunders' scoring spree gave the Cavaliers life, and Rohde later capped a 17-3 run with a corner triple in front of Virginia's bench to tie the game at 46. NC State had missed 10 of its last 11 shots before Pass's jumper bumped the Wolfpack ahead 48-46.

NC State went up 50-48 with 11:31 to go, but the Cavaliers soon charged ahead for good.

--Field Level Media