Charlottesville, Va. – Undefeated and 3rd-ranked Virginia had some special motivation in taking care of business on Tuesday night. A season ago JMU took down the Cavs 52-49 for the program’s first ever win against the Wahoos--which included a ‘court storm.’
Tony Bennett’s Virginia squad turned the tables by holding down the nation’s number one scoring offense. Kihei Clark scored 17 points, Jayden Gardner had 14 points and eight rebounds, and No. 3 Virginia beat feisty in-state rival James Madison 55-50.
The unbeaten Cavaliers lost lost starting guard Reece Beekman to a right leg injury early in the first half. Beekman has been suffering from both a hamstring and ankle issue. He finished a fast break layup but landed awkwardly on his leg under the bucket.
Takal Molson scored 20 points for James Madison, including a 3-pointer that tied the game at 42-all with 7:47 to play. Gardner responded for Virginia by scoring five straight points in a 9-1 run.