After losing their first four road games by an average of 20 points, Virginia managed to pick up their first true away win of the season against Georgia Tech, 75-66. The Cavaliers (13-5, 4-3 ACC) rode a combined 39 points from their star guards, sophomore Isaac McKneely and senior Reece Beekman, to victory over the Yellow Jackets (9-9, 2-5 ACC) that had knocked off previously-ranked Clemson in their previous game.
As has often been the case this season, Virginia started this game slow, losing the opening tipoff and letting Georgia Tech score the game’s first five points before Beekman found sophomore guard Ryan Dunn for a three-pointer to put the Cavaliers on the board. Freshman guard Naithan George sank a pair of free throws on the next Yellow Jacket possession to extend their lead, then responded with a jump shot after Beekman assisted a layup for senior forward Jordan Minor. After another Georgia Tech basket, Dunn cleaned up a Beekman miss with a raucous dunk to send the game to a TV timeout with Virginia trailing 11-7.
After a few fruitless trips for each team, Beekman sank a midrange jump shot, but the Yellow Jackets responded with a three-pointer to further extend their lead. Sophomore guard Dante Harris scooped in a layup for the Cavaliers, but Georgia Tech would go on an eight point run to open up a 22-11 lead before another Harris layup ended the run.
The game then slowed down as both teams struggled to score. Minor made a lone free throw, but over a minute — and several misses and turnovers from both teams — would pass before sophomore guard Andrew Rohde passed to a wide open Beekman in the corner for three points. Beekman then returned the favor, finding Rohde after a Minor steal for three more points. Georgia Tech called a timeout and then found George for a three-pointer to briefly stem the tide, then freshman forward Baye Ndongo added another short basket after a lone Minor free throw. These would be the Yellow Jackets’ last points of the half.
Down 29-21 with under four minutes to play in the half, the Cavaliers started to click. Beekman hit a spinning layup, then McKneely made a three-pointer from the wing. After a timeout, McKneely sank another three-pointer to tie the game, then fed Ryan Dunn for a jump shot that secured the lead. Georgia Tech attempted to run the clock down for one final shot, but Beekman swatted a pass out of bounds with 1.8 seconds left. Senior guard Taine Murray forced a bad pass on the ensuing inbounds and chased the ball down court before picking it up at the three-point line — which restarted the clock — taking two steps, and hitting a buzzer-beating layup. Virginia went into halftime up 33-29 fueled by a 12-0 run into intermission.
The Cavaliers came out firing after the break, making two of their first four shots to extend their lead to 9 points. However, the Yellow Jackets declined to go quietly, sinking a deep three-pointer to claw back into the game. McKneely then hit a three-pointer off a great pindown screen, and Beekman converted an and-one on a transition layup to put Virginia up 44-32.
Both teams traded blows as the second half progressed. Senior forward Tyzhaun Clyde then converted an and-one of his own for Georgia Tech, and a Beekman foul led to two more free throws from George. Beekman assisted a McKneely long two, then made a tough shot of his own with little time left on the shot clock.
After a few more traded shots, McKneely hit his fourth three-pointer of the game — an incredible heave from far beyond the arc — to put Virginia up 10. Claude and Beekman each made a tough jump shot, then Minor sank a free throw and Dunn tipped in a missed shot from Beekman. Ndongo converted a layup, then McKneely made another three-pointer in rhythm to give the Cavaliers a 14 point lead, their largest of the night. The Yellow Jackets went on a quick 6-2 run, but Beekman found Rohde and Minor for easy shots.
Virginia led 67-53 with six minutes to play and seemed to be in cruise control, but Georgia Tech refused to give up. The Yellow Jacket defense started to switch between man and zone defenses and employed a full court press that stymied the Cavaliers. Suddenly Virginia was up just five points and hadn’t scored in nearly four minutes.
Minor’s backup, senior forward Jacob Groves, hit a three-pointer, finally getting Virginia back on the score sheet. Ndongo scored a quick jumper to get the Yellow Jackets back within six with a minute to play, but McKneely hit a late three to ice the game.
Georgia Tech got another two-point shot, but it would be their final one of the evening. The Yellow Jackets forced a McKneely turnover but failed to capitalize, and Beekman sank two free throws to end the game. Virginia finally picked up a road win, 75-66.
The Cavaliers played a sterling defensive game against a top-100 Yellow Jacket offense, forcing 13 turnovers and getting three blocks, all from Dunn. Coach Tony Bennett’s pack-line defense was back in top form, rotating to the ball and giving Georgia Tech no easy shots.
“Their [Virginia’s] guards controlled the game and they got exactly what they wanted,” said Georgia Tech coach Damon Stoudamire after the game. “Even if that meant they got a shot clock violation.”
Led by McKneely, the Cavaliers shot 47.8 percent on three-pointers, their best mark since an early December demolition against Syracuse. Beekman notched his second double-double of the campaign with 19 points and 11 assists, and Dunn came up just one point short of a double-double of his own.
Virginia will return to John Paul Jones Arena Wednesday, hoping to remain unbeaten at home. They’ll face off against North Carolina State for the second time in 18 days, looking to avenge a 76-60 loss to the Wolfpack. The highly anticipated rematch tips off at 7 p.m. on ACC Network.
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