North Carolina State N.C. State/Virginia Virginia Men's College Basketball recap on ESPN

Roger Mason, Travis Watson and Chris Williams combined for 46 of the Cavaliers' 53 second-half points Saturday night and Virginia (No. 9 ESPN/USA Today, No. 8 Associated Press) rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit to beat North Carolina State 88-81.

"This game was about guts and courage and overcoming adversity," Virginia coach Pete Gillen gushed after his team improved to 11-1, 1-1 in the ACC. "It was just a testament to our kids' character and guts."

Mason scored 10 straight Virginia points, including a 3-pointer to tie it at 73 with 3:34 left, and Watson followed with four straight points to give the Cavaliers their first lead since a 13-11 edge in the first half.

From there, a roaring sellout crowd and clutch free-throw shooting finished off the Wolfpack (8-4, 0-1). Virginia made 19 of its first 20 free throws in the half, and four North Carolina State players fouled out.

Mason led Virginia with 26 points, Watson added 19 and 10 rebounds, and Williams had 17, all while playing with four fouls in the second half.

"He showed another part of his game tonight," Watson said of Mason, who hit seven of 13 shots. "He was driving, hit his free throws, a clutch three. He really had the feel tonight."

The crowd, which included new Cavaliers football coach Al Groh and his wife, Anne, also got high marks for helping Virginia finish it off.

"We really needed a helping hand and the crowd was on our side," Watson said. "They never gave up on us and guys just stepped up."

Hand, the senior point guard who averages 12.2 points, missed all six of his shots, but had four assists and two steals. And with Mason taking over late, the Cavaliers hardly missed their leader.

"Roger played like a prime-time, big-time player," Gillen said. "That 3, I thought, was the biggest shot of the game."

The crowd reaction to the shot nearly made the roof shake at University Hall, and Mason said the momentum helped carry Virginia home.

"When you're playing a catch-up game, it takes a lot out of you. We were pressing hard," he said. "When we tied the game, we all looked up and we knew we could do it. Everybody believed in each other."

The Wolfpack, having lost Kenny Inge, Damien Wilkins, Damon Thornton and Clifford Crawford to fouls, had little left to make a challenge.

"You pour your guts out and lose, and it's disappointing," Wolfpack coach Herb Sendek said. "We struggled to overcome foul trouble. Wilkins. Inge. Crawford. Thornton. That's a heavy cross to bear."

The Cavaliers used a fierce full-court trap to shake the Wolfpack, forcing 12 second-half turnovers that helped fuel the comeback. They also forced a shot-clock violation just before Mason's game-tying three.

"It was a great win," Gillen said. "I don't know how the heck we did it. I've got to look at the film. It was just scrapping and clawing."

Anthony Grundy led the Wolfpack with 17 points, Wilkins had 16 and Archie Miller 15. The Wolfpack lost despite shooting 61 percent.

Mason, who had made 43 straight free throws coming into the game, hit his first two, then missed to come up three shy of tying Jeff Lamp's school record of 48 in a row, set during the 1979-80 season.

ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard

North Carolina State Clubhouse

Virginia Clubhouse