The UVA men's basketball team lost the third game of its European exhibition tour Saturday, falling to Belgian club Gembo 102-97 in Belgium.
Gembo is the reigning champion of the Belgian Second Division.
Junior forward Akil Mitchell and senior point guard Jontel Evans each contributed double-doubles for the 'Hoos.
Mitchell scored 20 points (including UVA's first ten) and pulled down 16 rebounds. Evans poured in 14 points (all in the fourth quarter) and dished out eleven assists.
Junior Joe Harris scored 18 points and grabbed six rebounds, and freshman center Mike Tobey had 19 points and five rebounds off the bench in the loss.
Gembo led 27-18 after one quarter, 53-43 at half, and 80-70 after three. The 'Hoos opened the fourth quarter on a 15-4 run to take an 85-84 lead with 5:38 left, but Virginia couldn't hold on.
"We were a little better in the second half, handling some of their ball screens, and we were more aggressive," said UVA head coach Tony Bennett. "But I think this is showing all of our guys and us, and not that I'm shocked, that we have a ways to go. We really do. And for us to go against these teams, they're not very good defensively, but they're all very good offensively in terms of they really make you pay. If you're a little out of position, they'll shoot the three, and they know how to do certain things. Their ability to stretch the floor and shoot the three exploits our team's unawareness or lack of urgency. A lot of our young guys don't understand, you got to close out with your hands high, or they're gonna shoot it, and you're gonna take it out of the net."
Virginia is now 1-2 in Europe will play AMW Team France in Paris Monday and Tuesday to wrap up its European trip.
