CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Matching up against arch-rival No. 19/19 Virginia in the Commonwealth Clash presented by Virginia529, the Virginia Tech men's basketball team came up short 65-39 on Saturday inside John Paul Jones Arena.
Looking for its second road victory of the season, the Hokies (10-4, 1-2 ACC) could not get past the Cavaliers (11-2, 3-0) defense, as UVA went on to hold its fourth opponent this season under 40 points. Virginia's defense forced Tech, the nation's best at protecting the rock with averaging 9.5 turnovers per game coming into this one, to commit 13 turnovers on the day.
Redshirt freshman Landers Nolley II was a bright spot on offense for Tech, scoring a team-high 18 points and hitting three triples. Nolley, the reigning ACC Freshman of the Week, also grabbed five boards along with forward P.J. Horne, who tallied five as well.
Sophomore Kihei Clark paced the Cavaliers on the day, scoring a career-high 18 points along with senior Braxton Key notching his second double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 boards. Guard Kody Stattmann recorded career highs in points with 10 and rebounds with eight.
The Commonwealth Clash presented by Virginia529 stands in favor of Virginia 4.5-2. Virginia529 is the official college savings plan of Virginia Tech Athletics and the University of Virginia Athletics. To learn more about Virginia529 and the competition, visit www.thecommonwealthclash.com.
THE GAME
The Hokies struggled early on the offensive side due to stifling defense from Virginia. The Cavaliers forced Tech to commit an uncharacteristic eight turnovers in the first half.
Nolley kept the Hokies alive late in the half with an old-fashioned three-point play followed by a triple from downtown at the 2-minute mark. The Atlanta native scored 15 of Tech's 17 points in half one. Virginia scored late to extend the lead to 30-17 entering the break.
The Cavaliers jumped out of the gate on a 15-8 run to open the second half and maintain their lead. Tech looked to mount a comeback with sophomore Isaiah Wilkins hitting a 3-pointer followed by a layup from guard Nahiem Alleyne at the 8-minute mark to cut the deficit to 17 points. However, Virginia would not let up, never letting the Hokies take the lead as the Cavaliers won 65-39.
GAME NOTES
- Nolley led Tech in scoring for the tenth time this season and also grabbed five rebounds, scoring a team-high 18 points.
- Radford scored eight points in the loss to UVA, and he now has scored eight or more points in six of his last seven games. Radford also tied a season-best two steals on the day.
- Cattoor went 4 for 4 from the free-throw line, which is the first time this season he has shot 100 percent from the charity stripe.
- Horne grabbed five rebounds and now has five or more rebounds in five of his last six games.
UP NEXT
The Hokies will continue their road stretch as they travel to Syracuse, New York, to take on the Orange (8-6, 1-2) on Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 9 p.m. ET at the Dome. Gallery: (1/4/2020) 2020 MEN'S BASKETBALL at VIRGINIA
