A 24-8 run over the first ten minutes of the second half helped Virginia take down Lehigh, 61-43. The Hoos emerged hot from the halftime locker room, burying Lehigh under a barrage of furious offense and stout defense. The win marked Virginia’s fourth in a row, and improved its record to 5-2.
The win was also the 300th of Tony Bennett’s 13-year tenure in Charlottesville.
But victory didn’t always look like a sure thing. The Hoos initially appeared to be suffering the effects of a late night spent devouring Thanksgiving turkey, starting off slowly and lazily. Fortunately, they shook off the lethargy and won handily. Here are three takeaways from the victory.
Attacking inside works
Virginia’s magnificent second half was not just a random occurrence. The offensive explosion that resulted in 24 points over 10 minutes was the effect of a concerted effort to attack the rim.
Kihei Clark and Reece Beekman both put the ball on the floor and went straight at the basket, likely because of something Tony Bennett said at halftime. Both guards also chipped in from beyond the arc, each nailing their only attempted three.
But they weren’t the only ones to feast during the second half. Kadin Shedrick had a few nice buckets, getting the ball with his back to the basket and finishing well. Virginia ended the half with 26 points in the paint.
The bottom line here is simple. When facing an inferior opponent—which Lehigh definitely is, as KenPom’s 269th-ranked defensive team—Virginia needs to play as befits the opposition. They don’t need to try and be fancy, they just need to assert their dominance and go home. The Hoos did just that in the second half.
Turnovers and rebounding still weaknesses
The box score isn’t going to reflect this, but the first half made clear that Virginia’s Achilles Heel is still rebounding and turnovers. The Hoos allowed Lehigh to pull down some easy boards in the opening period, and committed a series of sloppy turnovers. In the end, neither flaw had a serious effect, but they are still two things the Hoos have to iron out.
On an individual level, the repeat offenders turning the ball over have been Kihei Clark and Jayden Gardner. Kihei’s 3:2 assist to turnover ratio this season has been disappointing, and the worst in his four years at UVA. Gardner’s turnover numbers are on par with his career numbers, but still too high. If both players can protect the ball better this team will benefit from it.
This defense is dominant
For the fourth game in a row, Virginia has held an opponent under 55 points. And for the second consecutive outing, that opponent hasn’t made it out of the 40s.
That is dominant defense by any metric, and the low scoring is not just because of the slow pace Virginia plays at. UVA has also been defensively efficient, holding Lehigh to just 0.741 points per possession.
It’s nice to see the packline performing to its potential, but it also looks like the defensive perfection will have to continue. Despite the explosive second half, Virginia’s start to the game was indicative of a team still figuring things out offensively. The offense is going to stagnate at times, and the Hoos will experience difficult scoring droughts, but it appears that the defense will always be there to bail them out.
Virginia took care of business against Lehigh, but they’ll face a far stiffer test on Monday in the ACC/B1G Challenge. Iowa will be coming to Charlottesville, with the game set to tip at 7 pm EST. The Hoos are in the midst of a nice run, and they’ll hope to extend it on Monday against the undefeated Hawkeyes.
Image – Virginia Athletics