Reece Beekman helps No. 21 Virginia edge Wake Forest
Feb 17, 2024; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons guard Cameron Hildreth (2) shoots the ball as Virginia Cavaliers guard Isaac McKneely (11) defends in the first half at John Paul Jones Arena. credits: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports Reece Beekman scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half to lead No. 21 Virginia to a 49-47 win over Wake Forest on Saturday afternoon in Charlottesville, Va.
Ryan Dunn contributed six points, nine rebounds and a career-high seven blocks for Virginia (20-6, 11-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), which avenged a 66-47 setback to Wake Forest on Jan. 13.
Isaac McKneely finished with 12 points for the Cavaliers, who overcame a 1-for-11 performance from the free-throw line. Virginia also overcame coach Tony Bennett's first technical foul since 2010, when he earned one during his first season at the helm.
Efton Reid notched a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds for Wake Forest (16-9, 8-6). The Demon Deacons shot 34.5 percent from the floor and made 5 of 21 (23.8 percent) shots from 3-point range en route to their season-low scoring output.
Beekman, the reigning defensive player of the year in the ACC, also played a big role in holding the Demon Deacons' leading scorer, Hunter Sallis, to 12 points — nearly seven points less than his scoring average entering the game.
About midway through the second half, Virginia bolted to the lead behind its defense. Dunn ignited the sellout crowd by blocking a two-handed slam-dunk attempt by Andrew Carr. Then at the other end, Dunn fed Blake Buchanan for a dunk.
Moments later, Beekman had a steal and a breakaway slam that gave Virginia its biggest lead of the game, 41-34, with 9:12 left.
The Cavaliers led the rest of the way, though the Demon Deacons twice cut the deficit to one point on 3-pointers by Parker Friedrichsen and Sallis.
Virginia stayed in control as McKneely drained a 3-pointer with 3:41 left. Buchanan had the Cavaliers' final field goal with 38 seconds left, a putback that gave them a 48-44 lead.
Cameron Hildreth had a chance to tie it at the end, but his 15-foot fadeaway at the buzzer was off the mark.
Virginia opened the game by making its first five shots to take an 11-6 lead. But over the next 10-plus minutes, the Cavaliers made just 1 of 11 shots and committed four turnovers.
—Field Level Media