ORLANDO, Fla. - For most of Thursday's game, it looked as though Virginia would be able to survive Furman, but everything unraveled in the final 10 seconds.
JP Pegues knocked down a three-pointer with two seconds left and Reece Beekman's final shot was off the mark, as the Paladins stunned UVA, 68-67, in NCAA Tournament first-round action in Orlando.
Virginia held a four-point lead with 19 seconds left, but after Garrett Hien hit two free throws to pull Furman to within two, Kihei Clark tried a long pass to escape pressure that was stolen by Hien. He found Pegues on the wing who drained the game-winning triple.
The Cavaliers took their biggest lead of the game with 15:22 remaining in the contest, as Clark's layup gave them a 42-30 advantage. However, Furman would chip away. Jalen Slawson's three-pointer tied the game at 54 with 5:42 to play and he would follow that up with a three-point play on a layup to give the Paladins their first advantage of the afternoon. It was part of a 19-4 Furman run to get back into contention and move in front.
Tony Bennett's team opened the game on an 8-0 run and scored in its first six trips down the floor. Furman would trim a nine-point deficit to just one in the opening frame, though the Wahoos would hold a 32-27 lead at halftime.
Kadin Shedrick paced UVA with 15 points and 13 rebounds, while Beekman added 14 points. Isaac McKneely chipped in 12 points off the bench. Slawson scored a game-high 19 points to lead four Paladins in double figures.
Virginia falls to 0-2 in NCAA Tournament games since winning the 2019 National Championship. Both losses came as number four seeds to number 13's in upset fashion. 2021 saw the Cavaliers lose to Ohio, 62-58.
