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No. 2 men’s basketball falls to Virginia Tech in overtime

Hokies snap Cavaliers’ 15-game winning streak in Commonwealth Clash

<p>Virginia senior guard Devon Hall missed two free throws in the final 31 seconds of overtime play against Virginia Tech Saturday night.</p>

Virginia senior guard Devon Hall missed two free throws in the final 31 seconds of overtime play against Virginia Tech Saturday night.

After a day of festivities in John Paul Jones Arena with the ESPN “College GameDay” crew in Charlottesville, Saturday night’s men’s basketball game proved to end in disappointment for No. 2 Virginia.

Coming into the match the Cavaliers (23-2, 12-1 ACC) had the hopes of moving to No.1 in the national rankings. However, in-state rival Virginia Tech (18-7, 7-5 ACC) showed it wasn’t going to let those hopes come to fruition, and beat Virginia 61-60 in overtime.

"I think it was just taking more pride in what we do,” Virginia senior forward Isaiah Wilkins said. “I think we got away from that, and we will definitely see that tomorrow in film ... we have had two slow starts in a row so we will probably try to adjust or do something to change that."

Virginia trailed for much of the game, greatly struggling offensively against the Hokies. Although senior guard Devon Hall found some success for the Cavaliers with his 16 points, he uncharacteristically missed two free throws in the final 31 seconds of play. Redshirt freshman guard De’Andre Hunter managed to put up 14 points, and while sophomore guard Kyle Guy had 13 points, it came from a shaky 5-21 shooting on the night. As a team, Virginia shot 34.4 percent overall and a mere 28.9 percent from three.

One player who didn’t struggle from beyond the arc was Virginia Tech freshman guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker. All 12 of his points came from his four three-pointers. Guard Justin Robinson was also successful offensively for the Hokies as he finished the night leading both teams in scoring with his 20 points.

"[Virginia Tech] did a really good job,” Coach Tony Bennett said. “They really flooded and jammed the lane. We almost stole that game. But that is what it would have been — stealing that game. They outplayed us… I think there were too many breakdowns for us and miscues. 

Although the loss was a tough one, Virginia now has a quick turn-around and has to hit the road to face No. 25 Miami Tuesday night.

“I think [Miami] is excellent and one of the most talented teams in our league in their building,” Bennett said. “Everybody is capable of beating everybody in this league and that is reality. If you are little off, it is not enough."

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