BLACKSBURG – In the Commonwealth Clash, the No. 20/19 Virginia Tech men's basketball team knocked off No. 8/8 Virginia 65-51 on Saturday night inside Cassell Coliseum. Tech earns its fourth-ranked win on the season.
The Hokies move to 13-3 overall and 7-2 in the ACC which gives them their best start in school history through nine conference outings. Virginia falls to 11-3 overall and 7-1 on the season marking their first conference loss.
On the offensive end, forward Keve Aluma notched a career-high 29 points and also grabbed 10 rebounds which is his fourth double-double of the season. Sophomore Hunter Cattoor added 15 points on 71% shooting from the field and also nailed three triples. As a team, Tech hit nine triples which is one of their highest totals of the season.
With defense becoming its strong suit, Tech only allowed the Cavaliers to score 51 points which are tied for the fewest points an opponent has scored against the Hokies all season (1/27/21 Notre Dame). Tech forced the Wahoos to shoot just 36% from the field and 35% from behind the arc. The Hokies came up with two steals, four blocks and caused the Cavaliers to commit nine turnovers.
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THE GAME
The Cavaliers gained a slight edge early on with hot shooting from behind the arc as they nailed five triples in the first ten minutes. Trailing 21-14, with just over eight minutes to go in the half, Aluma scored seven straight unanswered points to tie the outing at 21-21.
The Wahoos' Kihei Clark ended the Hokies' run with five consecutive points of his own to put Virginia up 26-21. The Cavaliers did not give up another bucket for the rest of the first and went into the half with a 26-21 advantage.
The Cavaliers came out of the break and continued to hit 3-pointers which put them up 39-29 early on in the second. With just under ten minutes left in the game, Alleyne and Bede each drilled 3s to get within one possession at 45-44.
With just under eight minutes of action left, the Hokies got red hot and could not miss as they rattled off a 19-0 run which put them up 63-47. Tech only allowed the Cavaliers to score four more points for the rest of the outing and went on to win 65-51.
QUOTING MIKE YOUNG
On what this win says about this team that you were able to pull off this victory over UVA:
"It's significant now, but let's hit the brakes," Tech coach Mike Young said. "It's late January they're not putting a crown on anyone's head in January. We have a bunch more of these head-knockers to go and Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Great win for us, we played a good ball game against a really good Virginia team, but let's hang on we got a lot more to look forward to we hope."
QUOTING HUNTER CATTOOR
On what knocking off the No. 8/8 team in the country says about this program:
"It's a big win for us, coming in we had a great scout from our coaches and we executed it. We played well as a team, I thought it was a great team win and a great win to keep moving forward in ACC play."
GAME NOTES
- Mike Young earned his first win against the Cavaliers and Tony Bennett.
- Bede dished out five assists which are tied for his second-highest total this season (8 vs. Longwood)
- Cattoor nailed three triples which marks the fifth outing that he hit at least three 3s.
- Mutts grabbed eight rebounds against the Cavaliers giving him 27 total over his last three outings
- Tech ends a four-game losing streak to the Wahoos and defeats Virginia for the first time since Feb. 10, 2018 (61-60 OT).
UP NEXT
The Hokies hit the road yet again to face off against Pittsburgh on Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. ET inside the Petersen Events Center.
Gallery: (1-30-2021) 2021 MEN'S BASKETBALL vs. VIRGINIA