UVA vs. Miami: Score, Highlights and Reaction from 2016 Regular Season

The No. 12 Miami Hurricanes held off a late charge and capitalized on timely free throws to defeat the No. 3 Virginia Cavaliers 64-61 on Monday at BankUnited Center and remain in the hunt for the ACC regular-season title.

Miami shot just 12-of-20 from the charity stripe but sank critical tries late while clinging to a narrow lead. 

With a 62-61 lead and 3.9 seconds remaining, Davon Reed made a pair of free throws. Then the Hurricanes forced a half-court shot by London Perrantes with outstanding press defense.

The win kept Miami (22-5, 11-4) within a half-game of North Carolina (22-5, 11-3) in the ACC standings; the Tar Heels, however, own the tiebreaker, having trumped the Hurricanes 96-71 on Saturday. 

Virginia's loss overshadowed a remarkable performance by Malcolm Brogdon, who tied a career high with 28 points and was the only Cavalier to finish in double figures.     

Last week, the Associated Press (h/t the New York Times) made a case for Brogdon to be considered along with Oklahoma's Buddy Hield for Player of the Year: 

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The Cavaliers are defense-oriented and have one of the lowest possessions-per-game averages in Division I, keeping his numbers below those of other contenders for player of the year. He is also a top perimeter defender, able to shut down the opponent's best scorer while keeping his scoring up.

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Andrew Ramspacher of the Daily Progress also marveled at Brogdon's ability to make acrobatic shots:

Here is a look at a corner jumper the standout senior made in the second half Monday, courtesy of Rob Dauster of NBC Sports:

Brogdon finished the first half with 11 points and was 3-of-5 on three-pointers, but Miami's Sheldon McClellan netted a three at the first-half buzzer to give the Hurricanes a 30-25 lead. 

After Brogdon started the second half with a steal and layup, Miami went on a 9-2 run to claim the largest lead of the night at 10 points. 

Given the way the Hurricanes' first half went—9-of-24 from the field with four turnovers—Matt Porter of the Palm Beach Post noted their strong start to the second seemed particularly rewarding:

But Virginia (21-6, 10-5) powered back with an 8-0 run and went ahead 48-47 on a layup by Mike Tobey with 9:36 remaining. 

Miami then reclaimed the lead with a 7-0 run, and Reed sank a three-pointer to give the 'Canes a 60-52 lead with 3:15 remaining. The Cavaliers got back within one point on two separate occasions but couldn't get over the hump.

Tensions had nearly boiled over about midway through the second half, when Miami forward Anthony Lawrence Jr. was called for a foul with 11:32 remaining. 

Hurricanes head coach Jim Larranaga was irate, as was the rest of the crowd, as Christy Chirinos of the Sun Sentinel noted:

Hardwood Hurricanes shared a video of Larranaga's vibrant response to the call:

The officiating was questionable for most of the night, and the crowd at the BankUnited Center was vocal about it, per Porter:

Canes Hoops noted the game had a monumental feel:

These teams have claimed the last three ACC regular-season titles, though the two-time reigning champion Cavaliers are moving out of the picture for this year's crown. But with a strong defense anchored by Brogdon, they are very much a Final Four contender. 

Miami, meanwhile, showed Saturday's blowout loss to UNC was merely a bump in the road and that it can still hang with the best of the NCAA.

Postgame Reaction

Larranaga was proud of the way his team played after Saturday's crushing loss to North Carolina, per Canes Hoops:

StateOfTheU.com argued the UNC loss was an outlier in the Hurricanes season:

Larranaga reportedly interrupted Virginia head coach Tony Bennett's press conference, per Ava Wallace of the Washington Post:

The Cavaliers host No. 7 North Carolina on Saturday, while Miami gets No. 11 Louisville at home.