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Virginia Athletics Receives $1.5 Million Gift
Official UVa Media Release

The University of Virginia's venerable old Memorial Gymnasium will receive a thorough facelift, courtesy of a gift of more than $1.5 million from an anonymous donor. The gift will push UVa's wrestling facilities into the upper echelon in the country and will give the Cavalier women's volleyball program a major boost.

Full report

Watson named ACC Player of the Week
Official UVa Media Release

University of Virginia senior forward/center Travis Watson (Brookneal, Va.) is the Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week after compiling double-doubles in points and rebounds in Virginia's victories over the University of Maryland and North Carolina State University last week. It's the second time this season the 6-8 Watson has been selected for the honor by a voting panel of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association (ACSMA).

Full report

Cavaliers Shock Terrapins, 86-78

Virginia did the unthinkable last Thursday. They knocked off 8th-ranked Maryland 86-78 in College Park. The Hoos had lost nine straight ACC road games prior to this contest, and Maryland was coming into the game hot, winning 10 of its last 11 games and sitting atop the ACC standings with a 6-1 record.

But there was something different about the Cavaliers in this game. Perhaps the Hoos were inspired by the play of guard Todd Billet, who dished out an amazing eight assists against some tough defensive pressure from the Terps.

Perhaps it was the excellent play from post players Travis Watson, Nick Vander Laan and Elton Brown. Watson ripped down 10 boards, scored 15 points on 7 of 14 shooting, and even dished out three assists of his own. Vander Laan scrapped hard throughout the game, going for loose balls, grabbing tough rebounds and staying active on the offensive end. The box score doesn't reveal much from "NVL" when compared to the others, but his efforts on the court last night helped spark the Hoos when things weren't going their way in the second half. Vander Lann finished with seven points, six rebounds, one assist and a block. That's a nice night for NVL.

Elton Brown showed his versatility, knocking down two early three pointers, grabbing five rebounds and dishing out three assists. One of those assists came when Brown led a fast break, then sent a beautiful bounce pass to Watson for a thunderous dunk.

Perhaps Virginia was inspired by the resurrection of shooting guard Devin Smith, who almost single-handedly brought the Hoos back from the dead, hitting four three-pointers over a five minute stretch in the second half. The Hoos were down by 12 points before Smith hit his first three-pointer with 12:39 on the clock. With 7:39 left, Smith nailed his fourth shot from beyond the arc to draw the Cavs to within two. Jermaine Harper dropped in another three one minute later, giving Virginia the lead at 70-69 with just 6:29 to play. Virginia would never look back.

Or perhaps it was the solid play of Majestic Mapp, who hit 9 of 10 free throws in the contest (7 of 8 in the last three minutes). Mapp made a couple of bad decisions on the night, but his composure helped keep the Hoos glued together in the final minutes. Before this game, the Cavaliers had a real problem keeping things together in late game situations on the road. Mapp added stability while racking up a season-high 19 minutes of playing time and providing some much needed direction for what was an inconsistent ball club.

With Virginia sitting in the driver's seat up four points with 2:43 to play, Mapp was sent to the free throw line and calmly knocked down both free throws to push the lead to six. With 1:13 to play and the Hoos holding on to a four-point margin, Mapp again went to the charity stripe and knocked down both shots to extend the lead back to six. Mapp would hit three of his next four free throws to help seal the deal.

Whatever it was that sparked the Cavaliers, there's one thing that was most noticeable. The Hoos played as a team. They moved the ball. They played with patience. They made interior passes to set up easier shots. They scrapped hard for rebounds and loose balls. While the Hoos still racked up more turnovers than assists, the won the game by playing hard, never giving up and trusting in their leaders.

For post game articles and box score, please see Maryland Game News.

Hoos defeat Pack

Virginia escaped with a 61-58 win over N.C. State Sunday evening, when the Pack's Julius Hodge narrowly missed a last second three pointer that would have sent the game into overtime.

The Hoos had to depend greatly on their defense, holding State to just 58 points and 41 percent shooting. The Cavaliers also scored 19 points off of 16 Pack turnovers.

The Cavs did not shoot much better than their opponent, only hitting 44 percent of their outside shots, and a miserable 4 for 17 from beyond the three point arc. What saved the Cavaliers, other than their defense, was their ability to hit free throws down the stretch. The Hoos converted 82 percent of their shots from the charity stripe. Virginia would hit its last four free throw attempts with under three minutes to play. With 2:56 to play, Travis Watson drained two free throws to give the Hoos the lead, 59-58. One minute later, freshman Derrick Byars drained two more free throws, extending the Virginia lead to three. Those free throws put Virginia up by three at 61-58, which would prove to be the final score.

The Cavaliers were paced offensively by Travis Watson. Watson dropped in 15 points and snagged a game-high 14 rebounds, yet another double-double for Watson who leads the ACC in that category.

Elton Brown scored 12 points, and was the only other Virginia player to score in double figures. Todd Billet did not have a brilliant shooting night, but was instrumental in leading the offensive end for the Cavaliers. Billet contributed a team-high seven assists with no turnovers.

Even with the excellent play of Billet, the Hoos looked lost on offense at the start of the second half. Virginia went into the break with a one-point lead. After five minutes of second-half play, the Hoos were down by eight and looking for some direction. Enter Majestic Mapp. The two teams traded baskets for a couple of minutes, then UVa went on a 10-3 run. With 10:40 to play, Mapp nailed a three-point shot to bring his team within two and close the run. Mapp also contributed three assists with no turnovers while playing a season high 21 minutes. In ACC games where Mapp has played 17 or more minutes, the Hoos are 3-0, with wins over #17 Wake Forest, #8 Maryland on the road and N.C. State.

For post game news articles and stats, please refer to N.C. State Game News.

Virginia drops road game to Carolina

Virginia fell to North Carolina on the road Wednesday night, 81-67. The Cavaliers got off to a terrible start, falling behind by 19 points in the first half.

Virginia rallied toward the end of the half, cutting the Heels' lead to just nine at the break. The Cavs continued their comeback in the second half, eventually tying the game at 57. But that was not enough. 21 turnovers by the Hoos, including 10 from normally sure-handed guards Majestic Mapp and Todd Billet, proved to be too much for the Cavs to overcome.

Todd Billet led all scorers for the Hoos with 16 points. Travis Watson scored 13 and ripped down 15 boards on the night.

For post game articles and stats, please refer to UNC Game News.

Next up, Duke!

Virginia returns home this Saturday for a rematch with #8 Duke. The Cavaliers lost to Duke in their last match-up on January 15th, 104-93. It was one of the closest matches in recent memory for the Hoos at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The game is scheduled for 9:00 PM and will be televised nationally by ESPN.

And then?

On Tuesday, February 18th, the Hoos have another home contest, this one against Clemson. The game is scheduled 8:00 PM and will be televised regionally by the Raycom-Jefferson sports network. Check your local listings for the proper channel.

Sabre Edge subscribers, you now have access to our exclusive photography. Every game that we shoot photos for, you will have access to the best of all of those shots within a day or two of the game's completion. Thus far, we've loaded the page with photos from the UNC, Wake Forest and Florida State basketball games. Look for photos from the Duke game this Tuesday.

We also plan to submit many of the photos we took during the 2002 football season. We will make an announcement as soon as those photos are uploaded.

Exclusive Photo Gallery (Edge subscribers only)

Sabre Edge subscribers get CavTalk archives

Sabre Edge subscribers, you can now access CavTalk's archives through the Sabre Edge. If you miss a show, not to worry. As an Edge subscriber, you now have access to the most recent archives of CavTalk's shows.