Tennessee Volunteers Overcome Virginia Cavaliers at Baha Mar Hoops Championship

NASSAU, Bahamas – In a decisive match held on Thursday night at the Baha Mar Hoops Championship, the No. 11 ranked Tennessee Volunteers handed the Virginia Cavaliers their first defeat of the season. The Volunteers secured a 64-42 victory, pushing their own season record to an unblemished 5-0 while Virginia fell to a 3-1 standing.

The Cavaliers’ performance was impeded by multiple turnovers and subpar shooting from the field. Virginia recorded a total of 18 turnovers and managed only a 29 percent shooting accuracy.

How It Happened

In the first half, despite a challenging 29.2 percent shooting performance, Virginia trailed Tennessee by only one point at halftime. The Volunteers maintained a narrow 22-21 lead after dominating the lead for approximately 13 minutes in the initial half. A notable moment occurred when Tennessee established an eight-point advantage, leading 22-14, with only 2:51 remaining in the half. This was shortly mitigated by Virginia’s Andrew Rohde, who sank a three-pointer with mere seconds on the clock, closing the gap to a single point.

In the early second half, Tennessee unleashed a powerful 17-5 scoring surge, which increased their lead to 13 points. Virginia responded with an 8-0 series, during which Dai Dai Ames scored five points followed by a three-pointer from Taine Murray, reducing Tennessee’s lead to five. Tennessee quickly countered with a three-pointer that dismantled Virginia’s momentum, leading to two significant scoring runs — 22-3 and 18-0 — that effectively secured the game for the Volunteers.

Up Next

The Virginia Cavaliers are slated to face No. 22 St. John's in the consolation game of the Baha Mar Hoops Championship, scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, November 22.