UVA loses to Furman 68-67 in NCAA tournament

ORLANDO, Fla. (WVIR) - Virginia’s season came to an abrupt end Thursday afternoon in Orlando with a 68-67 loss to Furman in the NCAA Tournament. The Cavaliers appeared headed for victory before things unraveled in the final seconds.

Virginia had the ball up by two with ten seconds left, when Kihei Clark got trapped in the back court. He attempted a long pass up court that was intercepted by Furman. Furman’s J.P. Pegues hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 2.4 seconds left which turned out to be the game-winner.

“I don’t know if the refs were near me I was running, said UVa coach Tony Bennett after the game, “I don’t know if Kehei thought no one was there or the clock was running out I’m not sure. We should have called timeout or gotten a tie up we had it.”

Team Notes

• UVA finished 25-8 overall

• Virginia is 10-7 away from John Paul Jones Arena, including a 4-2 record on neutral courts

• Furman gained its first lead at 57-54 on a 3-point play by Jalen Slawson, capping a 9-0 run by the Paladins

• UVA started the second half on a 10-5 run, gaining a 42-30 lead

• UVA held Furman scoreless for 5:48 in the first half

• UVA led 32-27 at halftime, falling to 19-2 when leading at the half

• Virginia owned a 32-22 advantage in the paint

• Furman was 10 of 28 from 3-point range, while Virginia was 2 of 12

NCAA Tournament Notes

• The Cavaliers are 35-24 all-time in the NCAA Tournament

• UVA is 5-4 record as a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament

• UVA made its ninth NCAA Tournament appearance under Tony Bennett and 25th overall

• Bennett is 16-10 in 11 NCAA tournaments, including a 13-8 record in nine NCAA appearances at UVA

• UVA is 12-2 in the NCAA Tournament when scoring 60 or more points under Bennett

Series Notes

• Virginia is 1-1 all-time vs. Furman in the series that dates to 2004-05

• The Cavaliers defeated the Paladins 79-67 in the other meeting on Dec. 8, 2004 at University Hall

Player Notes

• Double Figure Scorers: Kadin Shedrick (15), Reece Beekman (14), Isaac McKneely (12)

• Shedrick added a career-high tying 13 rebounds for his first double-double of the season (4th career)

• Shedrick reached double figures for the 22nd time

• Shedrick (4 blocks) had his 29th career multi-block game

• Beekman reached double figures for the 30th time

• McKneely reached double figures for the eighth time

• McKneely (2 3-pointers) has made 2+ 3-pointers in 17 games

• Jayden Gardner, Armaan Franklin, Taine Murray, Ryan Dunn, McKneely and Shedrick and made their NCAA Tournament debuts

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