Virginia 94, N.C. State 92 (4OT): Time after time, it seemed as though Virginia (14-12, 3-7 ACC) was headed for yet another close-but-no-cigar performance. But the Cavaliers – all of them – simply refused to let this one slip away:
– Down by 2 in overtime, Whitny Edwards hit a layup with 8 seconds left to tie it at 66;
– Down 2 in the second OT, China Crosby scored with 5 seconds left made it 77-77;
– Down 2 in the 3rd OT, Paulisha Kellum hit a runner at the buzzer to force yet another OT tied at 85;
– And finally, with the game tied at 92, Ariana Moorer beat the buzzer again to close out the Wolfpack and the longest game in program history – 60 remarkable minutes of hoops.
That’s four different Cavaliers playing hero in one game. And this doesn’t even include freshman Ataira Franklin, who turned in another outstanding game with 18 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out in the second extra period. Crosby led all Cavaliers scorers with 19 points and added 6 assists in 52 minutes. Kellum’s 16 points came in a team-high 55 minutes.
We keep saying that, ACC record aside, we really like this team. After a game like this, even the Cavaliers’ most frustrated fans will have to admit that a group has to have something special to go on the road and produce a performance like this.