NEW YORK — Jayden Gardner tossed in 17 points and Kihei Clark scored 15 to help Virginia hold off Louisville 51-50 in the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
Gardner’s layup gave Virginia (19-12) a 45-42 lead with 2:57 remaining, but Noah Locke answered with a 3-pointer 63 seconds later to knot the score.
Gardner hit a go-ahead jumper at the 1:28 mark and Reece Beekman made a layup following a missed 3-pointer by Jarrod West to put the Cavaliers up 49-45 with 40 seconds left.
Malik Williams had a rebound basket for the Cardinals (13-19) to make it 49-47 with 5 seconds to go.
Louisville fouled Gardner, who made two free throws for a four-point lead. That came in handy when Louisville’s El Ellis buried a 3-pointer on the game’s final shot.
