ATLANTA – Seeking a bounce-back victory, the Virginia Tech men's basketball team could not get in done in Atlanta, falling to the Yellow Jackets 76-57 on Tuesday night inside McCamish Pavilion.
The Hokies (14-9, 5-7 ACC) stumbled against Georgia Tech (11-12, 5-7), marking the first defeat Tech has suffered to the Yellow Jackets since 2014 as their six-game winning streak was snapped.
The Yellow Jackets were paced by guard Jose Alvarado, who scored 20 points and dished out six assists. Junior Moses Wright added 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds while guard Bubba Parham and sophomore Michael Devoe each reached double figures.
The Yellow Jackets' offense clicked by shooting over 50 percent from the field while also hitting eight 3-pointers. Georgia Tech outscored the Hokies in paint points 34-22 while also outrebounding Virginia Tech 37-30.
Tech saw contributions from guard Tyrece Radford, who scored 12 points and redshirt freshman Landers Nolley, who registered 10 points. Forward Branden Johnson scored his first-ever points in a Tech uniform and grabbed five rebounds recording a career high.
THE GAME
At the start of the game, Radford hit jumper and Nolley finished off a layup to pull Tech within two points. Georgia Tech would go on a 15-2 run over a nine-minute stretch beginning early in the first half. This run would prove to be too much for the Hokies as the Yellow Jackets entered the break leading 38-18.
With just over 15 minutes to go in the game, Georgia Tech went on a 10-3 run giving the Yellow Jackets a 57-28 advantage. Georgia Tech led the rest of the way and would go on to win 76-57.
NOTES
- Radford scored a team-high 12 points and led Tech in scoring for the third time this season. This is Radford's ninth game scoring in double figures and third straight game doing so.
- Nolley's 10 points marks his 21st game scoring in double figures and 11th consecutive outing reaching double digits in points.
- Virginia Tech's bench did outscore the Yellow Jackets bench 22-16. This marks the 14th game this season Tech's bench has scored 20 or more points.
- Bede tied his career high in blocks with two at Georgia Tech.
- Johnson scored the first points of his Tech career with four on the night and had a career-high five rebounds.
UP NEXT
The Hokies will return to Blacksburg for a three-game home slate beginning with Boston College on Saturday at noon at Cassell Coliseum.
