Coming into this season everyone knew the Virginia Cavaliers were to be thin in the post but tonight's matchup with the Florida State Seminoles drove the point home even harder as the Hoos fell 87-82 in overtime.
Wednesday night saw the Virginia Cavaliers battle and battle throughout their game against the Florida State Seminoles but with just 8 scholarship players available they came up just short of a victory. The Hoos' interior was tested and had no answer for FSU center Alexander Johnson who scored 16 points and had 9 rebounds. Al Thornton also blistered the UVa defense with 22 points and 9 rebounds.
The first half saw both teams run up and down the court at a frenetic pace as the halftime score favored the visiting Seminoles 47-45. The second half saw the pace slow down somewhat but in the end the Cavaliers ran out of steam as well as players when Tunji Soroye, Jason Cain, and Laurynas Mikalauskas all fouled out. The Cavaliers were in position to shoot for the win but freshman Mamadi Diane came up short on a three point attempt from the corner.
In the extra frame the Cavaliers weren't able to get untracked as the Seminoles pulled out the victory. The loss moves Virginia to (7-6, 1-2) while the Seminoles stand at (11-2, 2-1). The Cavaliers will now hit the road against in-state rivals Virginia Tech.
Leading the way for the Cavaliers once again was their backcourt duo of Sean Singletary and J.R. Reynolds. Singletary finished with 27 points and 7 assists while Reynolds poured in 17 points and 4 rebounds. The only other Hoo in double figures was "Mo" Diane who chipped in 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals.
Dave Leitao's squad kept the rebounding close as they pulled down 28 boards compared to FSU's 29 but the difference in this game was the presence of FSU's post players and FSU's depth. The Hoos were game but being only able to put 8 players on the court against a team that had 11 play often leads to some tired legs in the latter stages of the game. Don't expect Leitao and his staff to look at it as an excuse but you can bet he'll stress the fact that the Noles shot 60% from the field on the Cavalier defense. While weary legs leads to pour defense they will try to regroup before their next game.
Sean Singletary's performance tonight earns him our HooNation.com Player of The Game award once again.