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UVA survives Wake Forest

Feb 15, 2015 - 12:10 AM Charlottesville, VA (SportsNetwork.com) - Anthony Gill scored 19 points to help No. 2 Virginia escape with a 61-60 win over Wake Forest on Saturday.

Malcolm Brogdon added 11 points, nine rebounds and five assists for the Cavaliers (23-1, 11-1 ACC). He also had four steals, including one as time expired to secure the win.

The Demon Deacons (12-14, 4-9) were led by Konstantinos Mitoglou's 18 points on 6-of-12 3-point shooting. Codi Miller-McIntyre contributed 13 points and eight rebounds, but he lost possession of the ball in the waning moments without even getting a shot off.

"That was the very good individual defensive possession that we needed," said Virginia coach Tony Bennett. "We were just fortunate to make one stop at the end to come away with a tough win against a team that has really improved."

After Miller-McIntyre missed the potential game-tying free throw with 17 seconds left he grabbed his own rebound to give Wake Forest a chance. He took the inbounds pass after a timeout, but Brogdon did not give him a lane to the basket. Brogdon knocked the ball away as time expired to preserve Virginia's narrow edge.

"At the end of the ballgame, those guys just sat down and made a great defensive play," said Wake Forest coach Danny Manning. "That's great team defense and that's why they are where they are. For us, we have to do a better job in that situation."

Gill scored five straight points near the midpoint of the second half to put the Cavaliers up a game-high 13, but they went into a five-minute scoring drought to offer Wake Forest a chance to get back in the game.

With 2 1/2 minutes to play, Mitoglou heated up. His 3-pointer cut Wake Forest's deficit to two, and after Brogdon responded with a layup at the other end, Mitoglou connected from long distance again with 40 seconds to play.

The Demon Deacons fouled Gill on the floor just as Virginia was breaking the press, but he only made 1-of-2 shots before McIntyre-Miller drew a foul at the other end.

Wake Forest is only 15th in the conference in scoring defense, but it was the Demon Deacons that looked like the nation's best defense in the first half. The Cavaliers shot a dreadful 36.4 percent and were 0-for-4 from 3-point range.

Five minutes before halftime, Mitoglou hit his first of three triples in the first half. He connected from long range on back-to-back possessions a few minutes later, and Miller-McIntyre's layup with 11 seconds remaining gave Wake Forest a 31-24 lead at the break.

Game Notes

Virginia dominated points in the paint by a 34-14 margin ... The Cavaliers scored 20 points off 11 Wake Forest turnovers ... Mitoglou hit six 3-pointers for the second consecutive game ... Virginia continues its homestand on Monday against Pittsburgh while Wake Forest heads to Notre Dame on Tuesday.