BLACKSBURG – Kerry Blackshear Jr. had another big game for Virginia Tech, but it wasn't enough, as the No. 20 Hokies fell 64-58 to No. 3 Virginia in an ACC game played Monday night at Carilion Clinic Court.
With the loss, the Hokies fell to 20-6 overall, 9-5 in the ACC. Virginia moved to 23-2 overall, 11-2 in league play.
Blackshear kept the Hokies in the game in the first half, scoring 15 of the team's 29 points. Tech trailed just 32-29 at halftime, but the Hokies couldn't grab the lead in the second half – primarily because of cold shooting from the field.
Tech tied the game twice in the second half, with the final time coming after a basket by Ahmed Hill tied things at 34 with 17:28 remaining. Virginia, though, answered, as Ty Jerome hit a 3-pointer and the Cavaliers never trailed the rest of the way.
Virginia went on a 14-5 run shortly after Jerome's basket, as the Hokies hit just one field goal over a stretch of more than eight minutes. The Hokies shot just 33.3 percent in the final 20 minutes, including 1 of 14 from beyond the 3-point arc.
For the game, Tech shot just 39.7 percent and made just 3 of 27 from beyond the arc. In contrast, the Cavaliers shot 46 percent and hit 11 3-pointers.
(2/18/2019) 2019 MEN'S BASKETBALL vs. VIRGINIA
Blackshear was the only Tech regular to shoot better than 50 percent. He made 10 of 14 from the floor and added 13 rebounds. Ahmed Hill finished with 16 points, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 11.
Jerome led the Cavaliers with 23 points.
COMMONWEALTH CLASH
The Tech-UVA men's basketball game annually is part of the Commonwealth Clash, a points-based competition between the two schools in which the schools fight for a point among the sports in which they compete. The Commonwealth Clash is presented by Virginia529, the official college savings plan of Virginia Tech Athletics and the University of Virginia Athletics. The score for the Commonwealth Clash is now 5-3.5 in favor of Virginia Tech. Learn more about Virginia529 and this competition at www.thecommonwealthclash.com.
QUOTES TO NOTE
Virginia Tech head coach Buzz Williams
(On Virginia's defense)
"All credit to Virginia. Incredibly well coached. Early entry Hall of Fame coach. Very disciplined in how they play on both ends of the floor. The numbers that matter. Their defense is third in the country, and their offense is fifth, so you're, for sure, stressed out regardless of whether you have the ball or not, and so, for sure, all credit to them defensively."
(On Kerry Blackshear's play)
"I think statistically it speaks to how important he is. We're still trying to figure out a set where he can dribble it and then pass it to himself and then make a decision from there. One thing I've learned from KJ is not how good he is. If he took an IQ test, the first time he'd be a Mensa. He's off the charts brilliant. But what I've learned from watching KJ is the response of the other six kids, or seven depending on which game you're talking about, that we've suited up. Their response to being accepting of how important it is for KJ to be the focal point, whether that's to score or make a decision because he makes the game easier for our other guys."
(On Virginia Tech's shot selection)
"26 perfect shots, 29 good shots and three bad shots. Fifty-nine possession game, so five percent of our possessions, we would have deemed a bad shot – three of them."
GAME NOTES
• Blackshear scored the 1,000th point in his career in the game on a layup with 2:32 remaining in the game.
• Blackshear's double-double marked his fifth of the season and the ninth of his career.
• Blackshear is now averaging 19.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in the month of February. He is shooting 60 percent from the floor, including 53.3 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. He also is shooting 86.8 percent from the free-throw line.
• Justin Robinson missed his sixth consecutive game with a foot injury. Tech is 3-3 in that span.
• Alexander-Walker has scored in double figures in 22 of the 25 games in which he has played this season.
• Hill has scored in double figures in 19 games this season
• Ty Outlaw has started six straight games since Robinson went down with his injury.
• Wabissa Bede started his ninth straight game.
• The Hokies' three 3-pointers marked their second-fewest in a game this season (they hit two in a win over NC State on Feb. 2).
UP NEXT
The Hokies return to the court Saturday when they play Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. The game tips at 4 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN.