CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Esa Ahmad’s second basket of the game, a tie-breaking 3-pointer with 1:28 remaining, gave No. 25 West Virginia the finishing kick it needed against No. 6 Virginia on Saturday.
The Mountaineers scored 11 of the final 13 points to complete a 66-57 upset that snapped the nation’s sixth-longest home winning streak.
Jevon Carter had 11 points and five assists, Nathan Adrian scored 10 and West Virginia (6-1) was uncharacteristically sharp at the foul line by making 16-of-19 free throws. Just as crucially, Bob Huggins’ team committed only eight turnovers.
“If we can keep turnovers under 10 we have a chance and today we took so much better care of the ball,” Huggins said.
BOX SCORE: West Virginia 66, Virginia 57
The Cavaliers (7-1) led by 11 midway through the first half and played most of the game at their preferred pace only to be undone by 14 turnovers against “Press Virginia.” Carter made a team-high three steals, while Adrian and Brandon Watkins had two each.
“You can’t replicate that,” Virginia point guard London Perrantes said. “They do something completely different than anybody in the country. It’s brutal. Having to play against a press for 40 minutes, it’s tough and they do not stop.”
Darius Thompson scored a game-high 14 points for Virginia, which trailed 58-55 after Ahmad’s 3. After Tarik Phillip’s driving layup built a five-point lead, Carter blocked Perrantes’ 3-point attempt and Adrian grabbed the deflection before being fouled with 27 seconds left.
“We came out and challenged JC that (Perrantes) was the guy because he makes all the big shots,” said Huggins. “He’ll go a whole game and take two shots and when it comes down to winning games he takes all the big shots.”
Perrantes dished out seven assists but made only 2-of-10 shots for six points.
West Virginia guard Daxter Miles scored seven points before being ejected for a flagrant foul 2 on Isaiah Wilkins with 2:42 left in the first half.
“He went to block out and swung his arm and hit him in the head. It was a block out but the rules are the rules,” said Huggins.
Ahmad scored nine points and Lamont West added eight for the Mountaineers, who hadn’t won a true nonconference road game over a top-10 team since beating No. 5 Kentucky 77-70 on Dec. 20, 1957.
“West Virginia is an obviously well-coached, very physical, tough, veteran team, and you could see that,” said Cavaliers coach Tony Bennett. “Our guys gave effort, but I do not know if we quite matched the physicality.”