Virginia used a 17-2 run that spanned both halves to beat Virginia Tech 75-61 in Charlottesville on Wednesday night. Playing without starting forward Jeff Allen, their leading rebounder and third-leading scorer, the Hokies couldn’t get much done offensively as they lost their second straight game. Tech dropped to 16-9 overall and 6-5 in the ACC.
A.D. Vassallo scored 21 points and grabbled eight rebounds for Virginia Tech. He also blocked three shots. Vassallo was the only consistent offensive threat for the Hokies. Malcolm Delaney continued to struggle, scoring 11 points and going just 3-of-13 from the field, including 0-of-5 from three-point range. Delaney missed a number of wide open outside jumpers. He is now just 16-of-52 from the field over the last four games.
J.T. Thompson started in place of Allen and had 10 points and two rebounds. Cheick Diakite added nine points and nine rebounds, but the Hokies only got three points from their bench.
Overall, Tech shot 22-of-60 (36.7%) from the field and 4-of-19 (21.1%) from three-point range. UVA shot just 43.9% from the field, but it was enough to beat the ice cold Hokies.
UVA got 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists from freshman star Sylven Landesberg. Jamil Tucker added 13 points, while Calvin Baker and Mike Scott had 10 each. It was a very balanced scoring night for the Cavaliers.
Virginia Tech actually got off to a good start in this game, taking a 16-10 lead with 13:42 remaining in the first half. Malcolm Delaney scored five straight points on three free throws and a layup to give his team an early cushion. However, from that point on, it was all UVA.
The Hokies went nearly five minutes without scoring in the first half, and UVA went on a big run before halftime. Sylven Landesberg found Tunji Soroye underneath the basket right before the halftime buzzer sounded to give the Hoos a 39-29 lead going into the break.
Virginia kept it up in the second half, going on a quick 7-2 run. A jumper from Landesberg on a fast break gave the Hoos a 46-31 lead, and things were getting away from the Hokies very quickly.
UVA led by as many as 19 points when Jeff Jones hit a three-pointer with 7:21 left to make the score 60-41. Tech had one more quick run left in them. They switched to a 1-3-1 zone trap and were able to crawl their way back into the game, trailing just 67-59 following a three-pointer from Terrell Bell with 2:37 left in the game.
However, they couldn’t get enough going offensively to seriously challenge Virginia. The Hoos sunk six free throws over the last 2:31 of the game and held on for the easy 14-point victory.
Virginia Tech returns to action on Saturday when they host Florida State. Tip-off is scheduled for 8pm, and the game will be televised by Regional Sports Networks. Check your local listings.
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