Reece Beekman banked a short jump shot off the glass with five seconds left to propel No. 22 Virginia to a come-from-behind 56-54 victory over Northeastern on Saturday in Charlottesville, Va.
Beekman finished with 21 points, six rebounds and five assists as the Cavaliers (9-1) rallied from a 13-point deficit in the second half to capture their fifth straight victory.
Ryan Dunn had two dunks and scored all five of his points in the final 5:43 to help Virginia down the stretch.
Joe Pridgen had 11 points and 13 rebounds while Chris Doherty added 12 points and nine rebounds for Northeastern (4-7), which was gunning for its third win over a ranked team in program history.
On their final possession, the Huskies threw an errant inbounds pass while trying to get the ball to Doherty on the baseline.
In a game of runs, Northeastern started fast, racing to a 16-4 advantage. After losing the lead, it went on a 19-4 spree that bridged the halves to take its biggest lead of the game, 37-24, before the Cavaliers rallied.
Beekman and Leon Bond III combined for all the points as the Cavaliers scored seven in a row to draw close at 37-31 with 15:33 left in the game.
After missing eight of his first nine shots, Isaac McKneely made a pair of 3-pointers, the second of which gave Virginia its first lead of the second half at 45-44 with 7:01 remaining.
It remained tight the rest of the way with neither team leading by more than three points.
Doherty gave Northeastern a 54-52 lead with a layup with 1:06 left, but Beekman responded with a pair of free throws to tie it back up.
After Doherty was blocked with 24 seconds left, Beekman dribbled down the clock and drove down the right side of the floor for his game-winner.
In the first half, Virginia fell behind quickly as it made just two of its first 11 shots. Jared Turner and Masai Troutman drained 3-pointers as Northeastern bolted to a 10-2 lead.
Six straight points, all on layups, stretched the Huskies’ lead to their largest of the first half at 16-4.
The Cavaliers answered with a 16-2 run, capped by a fastbreak three-point play by Elijah Gertrude, to take their only lead of the half, 20-18.
Northeastern led 30-24 at the break.
–Field Level Media