The Grounds

Team Notes

• Virginia shot 56.3% from the floor, marking the first time the Cavaliers have shot 50% or better in consecutive games since at Seattle (12/21/11) and vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore (12/27/11) last season
• Virginia shot 77.3% from the floor in the second half, marking a season high for a half and highest since shooting 78.3% (18-of-23) in second half vs. Georgia Tech on Feb. 7, 1984
• The Cavaliers extended their home win streak to 11 games and are 12-1 at JPJA this season
• Virginia improves to 11-1 when scoring at least 60 points this season
• The 14-point margin matched the combined margin of Boston College’s first four ACC losses this season
• The Cavaliers have held all six of their ACC opponents under 60 points

Player Notes

• Akil Mitchell (16 pts) scored in double figures for the 14th time this season
• Justin Anderson (16 pts) scored in double figures for the fifth time this season and in consecutive games for the first time in his career

Player Career Highs

• Justin Anderson scored a career-high 16 points
• Paul Jesperson had a career-high seven rebounds
• Paul Jesperson had a career-high three steals
• Joe Harris tied a career high with three blocks

Career Records Watch

• Joe Harris moved into ninth place on Virginia’s career 3-pointer list with 156, tying Donald Hand (156, 1998-01) and Todd Billet (156, 2003-04)

Virginia Head Coach Tony Bennett

On second half play:
“In the second half, we tried to go inside a little more. Mike (Tobey) gave us a great lift that way. Justin (Anderson) certainly did, too.”

“They got some good looks in the first half, and I thought we were better in the second half of being there on the catch, a little better on the ball screen defense, and our rotations. They’re hard to guard with their spacing.”

On retaining energy with a busy schedule:
“They’re young, and we’re young too in some ways. I think a home crowd can do that for you. There was a lot of energy and passion. It’s physical, but it’s also mental, too. I was concerned about that with three days of prep, and the quick turnaround. That’s why yesterday was a real brief practice, but we did compete. Now, we turnaround again, and play on Tuesday. We’ll have to be ready for that.”

On guard rotation:
“I thought he (Doug Browman) finished and played a good amount of minutes against Tech, and was really solid. He’s been in our system. He’s a senior, a fourth-year. With their back-cuts, the way he trailed when we played Wofford, I thought he’d be good in that situation.”

On freshmen play:
“We talk so much to our young guys about being sound, being disciplined, take what the defense gives you. Same thing on the other end. In the last couple of games, and in practice, you’re seeing improvements.

“He (Justin Anderson) has that dynamic of athleticism, that explosiveness that makes some plays for him. It was good to see that on display. I know at the end, I wish he wouldn’t have dunked that one. He got trapped, and he apologized to the coach after. He’s passionate, and he brings energy. I like what I’m seeing the last couple of games.”

Virginia Sophomore Guard Paul Jesperson

On holding Jackson to one shot in the second half:
“That was part of the game plan. We knew he was probably one of the best three-point shooters we had seen so far this season, so that was one of our goals, not to give him easy looks. I think we did that tonight.”

On his rebounding tonight:
“I think that goes back to the talk that coach had earlier in the season, just about being more aggressive in all areas. I think that showed in my rebounding tonight.”

On what he believes he brings to the team on a good night:
“I think I’ve showed I can bring it in different areas on different nights. It can be scoring some nights; it can be rebounding some nights; it can be defense some nights. So I think it’s a variety of things I bring to the table.”

Virginia Junior Forward Akil Mitchell

On playing two games in three days:
“It was a little tough. We’re still young, but I think the third game (vs. NC State on Jan. 29) might be a little more challenging. I know the coaches will prepare us mentally.”

On offense:
“We knew we would have an advantage inside. Our jump shots weren’t really falling in the first half, but we did a good job of shifting our focus and getting inside in the second. We knew we were back at home and if we got rolling, the second half would be a good half for us offensively.

Virginia Senior Guard Jontel Evans

On game:
“The first half we got off to a good start, but they really stepped it up going into halftime. In the second half, we were the tougher team on both ends of the floor. We were tough on them defensively. We were really physical and disciplined with them. We didn’t want them to run their offense so easily.”

On freshman Justin Anderson:
“He’s focusing. When he first got here he would get distracted in practice and I would tell him to stay focused. He has been doing a great job in practice and his effort has translated into the game.”

Boston College Head Coach Steve Donahue

On the second half play:
“It was a combination of what they were doing and our poor shooting. They came out of the locker room determined to really guard us. It got physical on the offensive end as well. I called a timeout early in the second half and tried to urge our guys to compete a little more physically. Virginia makes you play for the full 35 seconds on the shot clock as well as anyone in the country. We had to explore ways to share the ball and trust in each other, but we got out of sync on offense. The more disappointing part is that once things went bad on offense, we can’t let it effect us on the defensive end. But, we did that.”

On defending Virginia:
“There were certain guys, like Justin Anderson, who went right by us. He’s the guy that jumps out at me the most. Akil [Mitchell] did a good job getting to the rim as well. I think they had the intent of making sure that they got the ball inside, and we didn’t do a good job against it.”

On Ryan Anderson’s play:
“I thought that in the first half he was in a position to convert. He was able to spread them out and get by them. He’s been so efficient with that all year. It’s a credit to Virginia for competing at the rim and working so hard and intelligently that I think they surprised him. They had a tenacity that worked well against him. We knew they were going to double, but they were stopping him from getting to the basket and forcing turnovers.”

Boston College Sophomore Forward Ryan Anderson

On the team’s play:
“Overall, it was mostly about their defense. They were taking away a lot of things that we like to do offensively. They were tougher than us. Defensively they were tougher than us and offensively they were doing a lot more than us as well. I think that we just have to continue to grow as a team. We have a lot of young guys, so we will continue to grow every day and bounce back tomorrow. If we continue to work hard, I think we’ll be alright.”

On his performance:
“I thought they did a really good job pressuring me during the game. I don’t know how many turnovers I had, but I had a lot more than I usually do. I just couldn’t fend them off defensively and they were making it very hard for me.”