BLACKSBURG – Inside Cassell Coliseum, the No. 16/15 Virginia Tech men's basketball team suffered a 69-53 setback versus Georgia Tech on Tuesday night. The defeat marks the Hokies' first loss since early February and ends Tech's three-game winning streak at home against the Yellow Jackets.
The Hokies fall to 14-5 overall and 8-4 in conference play. Georgia Tech moves to 12-8 on the season and 8-6 in the ACC. The Yellow Jackets win marks their third straight victory and second consecutive success against the Hokies (76-57 - Feb. 4, 2020).
Georgia Tech received key contributions on offense from senior Moses Wright who recorded his fifth double-double this season with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Guard Michael Devoe added 12 points and senior Jose Alvardo tallied 13 on 50% shooting.
The Yellow Jackets got after it on the defensive end as they forced Tech to commit 16 turnovers and then scored 19 off those mistakes. Georgia Tech limited the Hokies offense as Tech shot just 41% from the field and 35% from behind the arc.
Despite the loss, forward Keve Aluma notched his sixth double-double of the season with 12 points and 14 boards. Sophomore Nahiem Alleyne added 12 points and guard Tyrece Radford scored 11 in his return to play.
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The Hokies and Yellow Jackets battled through a defensive showdown for most of the first with neither team gaining an edge. With just over a minute to go, trailing 23-21, guard Joe Bamisile nailed a triple to give Tech the one-point advantage. The Yellow Jackets hit one of two from the line to send the outing into the half-tied at 24-24. Alleyne had a team-high nine points and Aluma grabbed 11 boards going into the break.
Georgia Tech came out in the second with high energy on the offensive and defensive end as they went on a 17-4 run to go up 41-28. With just under eight minutes left, Tech attempted to mount a comeback with a triple from Mutts followed by an and-one from Tyrece Radford to cut the lead to just six points at 48-42.
The Yellow Jackets answered every Hokie run and went back up double digits going into the under four media timeout. A late 3-pointer from Georgia Tech put the game away and the Yellow Jackets went on to win 69-53.
GAME NOTES
- Alleyne scored 12 points which is the tenth time this season he has scored in double figures.
- Aluma notched a career-high 14 rebounds against Georgia Tech.
- Aluma also tied his career high in assists with five which gives him 19 assists over his last four outings.
- As a team, Tech grabbed 31 rebounds versus Georgia Tech giving it exactly 31 boards in each of its last three contests.
UP NEXT
The Hokies will stay in Blacksburg to face off against Wake Forest on Saturday at 4 p.m. inside Cassell Coliseum with coverage available through the ACC Network.
Gallery: (2-23-2021) 2021 MEN'S BASKETBALL vs. GEORGIA TECH