Cavaliers fall 53-51 against NC State; Drop to 4-4 in ACC

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - A contested three-pointer by Casey Morsell at the buzzer did not connect, and the UVa men’s basketball team lost 53-51 against NC State on Monday at John Paul Jones Arena.

Morsell grabbed the rebound following a missed free throw by NC State’s Devin Daniels with 0:07 left, but the Cavalier freshman was unable to hit the game-winning basket.

“I realized time was winding down, and I couldn’t look to pass, as there wasn’t that much time to really make a play,” says Morsell. “I tried to get downhill, but is seemed like they built a fence, which forced me to go opposite wing. Time was ticking, so I had to let it go."

Morsell had nine points and five rebounds off the bench for the 'Hoos.

Kihei Clark was the only player to reach double figures for Virginia, and he added five assists and seven rebounds to his 10 points.

Mamadi Diakite, Jay Huff, and Braxton Key all scored eight points. UVa made just 18-of-50 shots against the Wolfpack, and they were 3-of-12 from behind the arc.

Head coach Tony Bennett says, “We shot 36-percent from the field, and 25-percent from three-point range, and we still had a chance. Your margin of error shrinks even more with that. Those live-ball turnovers are like Pick Sixes. They led to ten points in the first half. It was better in the second half, for sure.”

The Cavaliers trailed at halftime for the sixth time this season (28-26), and they are 0-6 in those games.

UVa was down by as many as 11 points in the 2nd half, but a 15-0 run gave them a 46-42 lead with 4:39 remaining.

NC State head coach Kevin Keatts says, “Any win in this league is great, especially a road win. I have tremendous for what Tony has done here with the program. Especially because I am from Virginia, I do respect what he’s done, and what he’s built here. He’s taken this to a national championship program.”

Virginia out-rebounded NC State 40-30, and they had a 17-5 advantage in points off the bench.

UVa (12-6, 4-4 ACC) will be back in action on the road at Wake Forest on Sunday at noon.