TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Interstat) — In a game defined by defensive tenacity and offensive inefficiency, the Virginia Cavaliers escaped the Donald L. Tucker Center with a narrow 61-58 victory over the Florida State Seminoles in an Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball clash on Tuesday night.

The contest was a stark departure from the high-scoring affairs that have recently dotted the ACC landscape, instead reverting to a grinding, physical battle where every possession was a struggle. Both teams combined to shoot a dismal 26.3% from three-point range and committed 22 turnovers, with points coming at a premium throughout the evening.

Virginia, improving to 21-3 overall, maintained its grip on the ACC’s upper echelon by doing just enough in the final minutes to fend off a persistent Florida State squad that fell to 11-13. The game was tied 32-32 at halftime, setting the stage for a second half where neither team could establish a comfortable lead.

The most critical sequence of the game unfolded in the final 90 seconds with Virginia clinging to a 59-58 lead. After a missed three-pointer by Florida State’s Lajae Jones, the Cavaliers worked the clock down before Thijs De Ridder hit a crucial mid-range jump shot with 25 seconds remaining, pushing the lead to three. On the ensuing possession, Florida State’s Robert McCray V missed a potential game-tying three-pointer, and De Ridder secured the defensive rebound. A final heave by McCray as time expired was off the mark, sealing the victory for the visitors.

The game’s outcome was forged not by offensive fireworks but by Virginia’s ability to marginally outperform Florida State in a rock fight. The Cavaliers shot only 37.7% from the field but limited the Seminoles to an even colder 29%. Virginia’s slight advantages in offensive rebounding, 10-9, and three-point shooting, 10 makes to Florida State’s six, provided the narrow margin required.

Jacari White led Virginia with 19 points, including five three-pointers, providing essential perimeter scoring on a night where interior offense was hard to find. Thijs De Ridder added nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds, with his late jumper and final defensive board proving decisive. Chance Mallory facilitated the offense with five assists.

Florida State was carried by the duo of Robert McCray V and Lajae Jones. McCray scored a game-high 20 points, adding four assists and three blocks, while Jones contributed 21 points and nine rebounds. Their efforts, however, were undermined by the team’s overall 6-for-33 shooting from beyond the arc and an offensive rating of just 81.2 points per 100 possessions.

The Seminoles had opportunities, converting 12 points off 14 Virginia turnovers and scoring seven fastbreak points to Virginia’s zero. But they could not overcome their own shooting woes, particularly down the stretch, missing their final five field goal attempts in the last two minutes.

Virginia’s victory, while not aesthetically pleasing, continued a trend of resilient conference wins. The Cavaliers now look ahead to a non-conference showdown with Ohio State in Nashville on Saturday. Florida State, meanwhile, will aim to regroup on the road at Virginia Tech, seeking to replicate its defensive intensity while finding more consistent offense.

The game drew 7,377 fans to the Tucker Center and finished well under the pregame over/under line of 150.5, a testament to the defensive struggle that unfolded. Virginia, a 7.5-point pregame favorite, covered the spread with the narrow win, which aligned with statistical models that gave the Cavaliers a 72.8% probability of victory.