Cal vs. Virginia: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 Regular Season

No. 5 Virginia survived a scare at home from unranked California on Tuesday night thanks to a clutch three-pointer from London Perrantes with 10 seconds left in overtime to secure a 63-62 win over the Golden Bears at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Virginia has now won 17 straight home games against unranked foes. 

Fresh off an impressive victory over No. 17 Villanova, Virginia floundered in the first half before recovering with a strong showing down the stretch. After trailing 27-20 at halftime, Virginia stormed back and notched a 32-25 scoring edge in the second stanza before Malcolm Brogdon stripped Jaylen Brown on a potential game-winning look at the end of regulation.    

And while Virginia trailed for nearly the entire extra session, the clutch triple from Perrantes gave Virginia the lead and allowed the Cavaliers to escape with a last-gasp victory.

Anthony Gill was particularly prolific in the second stanza, and his scoring allowed Virginia to climb back into things. After missing all four of his first-half field-goal attempts, Gill finished with 17 points and six rebounds while draining all seven of his free throws.

Jarred Reuter poured in 11 points off the bench, while Perrantes and Brogdon scored 10 points apiece. 

Brown led California with 18 points on 5-of-11 shooting (8-of-9 from the free-throw line), and Jordan Mathews chipped in 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting (4-of-8 from three).      

Ivan Rabb, who tallied nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds, was particularly impressive in a tough matchup, according to NBC Sports' Rob Dauster: 

While Virginia entered the night touting the league's most efficient offense, per KenPom.com, it didn't show signs of that status early. 

The Cavaliers scored at a point-per-minute pace in the first half and finished the night shooting just 38.9 percent from the field and 58.3 percent from three. For a team that was shooting over 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from three entering Tuesday, it's safe to say the victorious effort represented a regression of sorts—at least inside the arc. 

However, Virginia's offense harkened back to its efficient roots as the second half wore on, and it ultimately worked its way into a groove to give the Golden Bears fits. The Cavs also locked down and got key stop after key stop in the second stanza, and they climbed all the way back to tie things with just over four minutes remaining. 

CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein praised Virginia's defense following the come-from-behind win: 

It was the sort of win that Virginia has become known for with head coach Tony Bennett at the helm. Though it was hardly pretty, the Cavaliers were able to erase a pair of deficits and reiterate they're the sort of squad that's mentally strong enough to withstand rough stretches.      

Virginia's now won nine in a row since dropping a mid-November game against George Washington, and it will look to extend that victorious run on Dec. 30 against Oakland. And based on the Golden Grizzlies' near-upset of No. 1 Michigan State on Tuesday night in overtime, Virginia can't afford to take the mid-major lightly.

Post-Game Reaction

Bennett provided a concise recap of how he saw things unfold, according to the program's official Twitter account: 

Bennett also had plenty of praise to heap on a competitive California team:

As for the game-winner? 

"I just wanted to get him a clean look and it has been a good play for us," Bennett said, per the program's official Twitter account. "I'm glad we used it."