CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Kihei Clark was the smallest player on the court, but he made the biggest play.
The 5-9 guard made the go-ahead layup with 59 seconds left, and Virginia defeated No. 5 Florida State 61-56 on Tuesday night, ending the Seminoles' 10-game winning streak.
Clark drove down the left side of the lane, reached across and banked in his shot on the right side.
"When I got the big switched on me, I used my quickness to my advantage. That was the game plan," Clark said.
Clark said initially he drove looking for defenders to leave shooters alone for him to pass to. When none did, he seized the opportunity.
"I went in and tried to make a play," he said.
On the play, size didn't matter, Seminoles Coach Leonard Hamilton said.
"Sometimes size is misleading," he said. "Sometimes when you're small and quick and fast, that has advantages, too. I mean, he's a very clever guy with the ball. ... He might be small in stature but he has the biggest heart in the ACC. Guys like that, they have that special 'it' factor that sometimes you can't identify, but he has it. He was extremely confident and thought that his teammate fed off of him, and he made the plays and kept us at bay."
The victory was Virginia's first as an unranked team against a top-five team since the Cavaliers beat Duke 73-68 on Feb. 28, 2013. It also was the second consecutive victory for the reigning national champions, who'd lost four of five previously, raising questions about whether they would make the NCAA Tournament.
Mamadi Diakite had 19 points and nine rebounds for Virginia (14-6, 6-4 ACC), and Braxton Key added 13 points and nine rebounds.
After Clark's basket, Diakite and Key each made two free throws to seal it. Diakite dismissed the idea that the shots were pressure-packed.
"We've been there," Diakite said, recalling three close games to complete their national championship run. "That's the reason we were all clutch today."
After Clark gave Virginia a 57-56 lead, Devin Vassell missed a jumper for the Seminoles and Diakite hit two free throws with 13.9 seconds left. Key's came after Wyatt Wilkes and Trent Forrest missed three-point attempts for the Seminoles.
"I expected them to foul us, but because they are such a good defensive team, they played it out," Hamilton said of the ending.
The Seminoles forced 17 turnovers while committing seven, but were outscored 10-9 off those miscues by the Cavaliers. Virginia also won the rebounding battle 36-23.
Vassell led Florida State (17-3, 7-2) with 17 points. The loss was the Seminoles' first since Dec. 3 at Indiana.
In other games involving top 25 teams, Saddiq Bey scored 23 points, Collin Gillespie had 17 points and 13 rebounds, and No. 8 Villanova (17-3, 7-1 Big East) won its seventh consecutive game, easily handling St. John's (13-9, 2-7) 79-59 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Rasheem Dunn had 24 points for St. John's. ... Vernon Carey Jr. had 26 points and 13 rebounds as No. 9 Duke (17-3, 6-2 ACC) beat Pittsburgh (13-8, 4-6) 79-67 in Durham, N.C. Tre Jones contributed 14 points and Duncan Goldwire scored 13 as the Blue Devils. Au'Diese Toney led Pittsburgh with 27 points. ... Kamar Baldwin scored 12 of his 13 points in the second half, helping No. 16 Butler (17-4, 5-3 Big East) overcome a 14-point deficit to beat Georgetown (12-9, 2-6) 69-64 in Washington, D.C. Sean McDermott made the go-ahead three-pointer with 49.9 seconds left and finished with 25 points. Omer Yurtseven led the Hoyas with 14 points and 13 rebounds. ... Caleb McConnell scored 16 points, making 12 of 13 free throws, and No. 25 Rutgers (16-5, 7-3 Big Ten) nearly blew a 17-point lead before holding off Purdue (11-10, 4-6), 70-63 in Piscataway, N.J. Rutgers built a 44-27 lead before Purdue went on a 10-2 run capped by a Jahaad Proctor layup to make it 46-37 with 14:12 left. Purdue would continue to chip away at the lead, getting it to six on a couple of occasions by the final media timeout. McConnell hit two free throws to put Rutgers up 64-59 with less than two minutes to play, but Eric Hunter Jr. made a layup with 30 seconds to go to make it 64-61. It's the closest Purdue would get.
SEC MEN
Auburn wins in 2 OT
OXFORD, Miss. -- Isaac Okoro converted a three-point play with 1:41 left in the second overtime, and No. 17 Auburn topped Mississippi 83-82 on Tuesday night.
Okoro had 14 points and nine rebounds for Auburn (18-2, 5-2 SEC), which trailed by 19 points early in the second half. Anfernee McLemore led the Tigers with 19 points, and Samir Doughty had 17.
The game was tied at 78-78 before KJ Buffen made two layups for Mississippi. But J'Von McCormick's jumper got Auburn within two with 2:32 remaining.
After Devontae Shuler, who led all scorers with 26 points, missed a jumper for Ole Miss, Okoro drove inside and scored while being fouled by Bryce Williams. He made the ensuing free throw to give Auburn the lead.
The Rebels (10-10, 1-6) had a chance for the victory in the closing seconds, but Blake Hinson missed a three-pointer.
In other games involving SEC teams, Reggie Perry scored a career-high 27 points, Robert Woodard added 16 and Mississippi State (13-7, 4-3) beat Florida (12-8, 4-3) 78-71 in Gainesville, Fla. Tyson Carter added 12, including seven consecutive points to turn the game in the second half. The Bulldogs rallied from 16 points down to take their fourth consecutive conference victory. Florida was hot early, shooting 58% in the first half and making 8 of 14 from three-point range. ... Wendell Mitchell scored 23 points to lead Texas A&M (10-9, 4-3) to a 63-58 victory over Tennessee (12-8, 4-3) in Knoxville, Tenn. Mitchell hit a three-pointer late with 48 seconds left to put the Aggies ahead 56-53 and he followed with two free throws on their next possession. John Fulkerson led Tennessee with 15 points. Jordan Bowden added 13 points, and Yves Pons and Santiago Vescovi each scored 10. ... Missouri (10-10, 2-5) overcame a 20-point deficit in the second half to defeat Georgia (11-9, 1-6) 72-69 in Columbia, Mo., ending a four-game losing streak. Missouri's Xavier Pinson scored all 16 of his points in the final 14 minutes. Missouri forward Reed Nikko reached a career high with 13 points, 11 in the second half. Nikko also blocked a shot by Anthony Edwards with nine seconds left. Edwards led all scorers with 23 points.
Sports on 01/29/2020