March came early for Boopie Miller and SMU.
The Mustangs absolutely stunned Virginia on Wednesday night at John Paul Jones Arena after Miller hit a ridiculous 3-pointer that faded just before the buzzer. The shot, which knocked him into his own bench before a massive celebration broke out to calm the Charlottesville crowd, lifted SMU to a 54-52 victory.
The bucket was just the second of the night that Miller made from behind the arc. He finished with 12 points and six rebounds to lead the Mustangs, who improved to 13-4 on the season and 4-2 in ACC play. Miller, a junior, has averaged 14.6 points and a team-high 5.9 assists per game this season.
The game was a defensive battle from start to finish. The Mustangs took a two-point lead into halftime and then were held scoreless for a nearly five-minute stretch late in the second half, allowing Virginia to regain a five-point lead after its long 12-0 run. .
But Miller hit his first 3-pointer of the game with just nine seconds left on the clock to cut that deficit to a single point, and then the Mustangs made a stop at the other end to set up their final downfield play and Miller’s eventual play. . game winner.
Blake Buchanan led Virginia with 11 points and 15 rebounds off the bench. Ishan Sharma also added 10 points off the bench. They were the only two Cavaliers players to reach double figures. The team was also just 4 of 26 from the 3-point line. Virginia fell to 8-9 on the season with the loss.
Chuck Harris added 12 points to go along with Miller’s 12 for SMU. Samet Yigitoglu added 10 points and six rebounds as well. SMU, which has now won consecutive games after losing two in a row to Duke and North Carolina, will face Miami next Saturday.