CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – In a down to the wire contest, Virginia Tech fell to Virginia, 54-52, inside John Paul Jones Arena on Wednesday night.
Keve Aluma put up 22 points, his 10th-consecutive double-digit scoring game, and hauled in six rebounds in Tech's fourth conference game of the season. Throughout the night, the Berlin, Maryland native created offensive opportunities despite a stingy Cavalier defense, headed by Francisco Caffaro.
Joining Aluma in double figures were Storm Murphy and Hunter Cattoor. Murphy had 10 points in his first Commonwealth Clash matchup, while Cattoor put up a well-rounded 10 points, six boards and five assists in the contest.
Virginia Tech did a great job disrupting Virginia shots in the contest, coming away with six blocks. Justyn Mutts led the way individually for the Hokies with two rejections.
How It Happened
The Hokies weathered an early storm by Virginia when trailing by eight with 10:35 remaining in the first half. A 7-0 run, including two tough buckets from Cattoor, brought Tech back within striking distance. While Virginia Tech struggled to get everyone involved with only three players (Aluma, Murphy and Cattoor) scoring, Virginia only scored three points in the final 6:00 of the first half.
Virginia dominated the boards in the first half, bringing down 19 boards, including seven offensive rebounds. Both sides faced some foul trouble, as Justyn Mutts and Kadin Shedrick spent time on the bench with two fouls in the first half.
Virginia Tech narrowed its deficit to 46-45 before going on a 5-0 run, finished off by Aluma's jumper, to seize a 50-46 lead with 4:57 to go in the contest. Virginia re-asserted control, outscoring the Hokies 8-2 the rest of the way to hand Virginia Tech the 54-52 loss. The closing sequence consisted of a Cattoor 3-pointer that didn't fall with the rebound being tapped out to Murphy who couldn't get his look to drop either.
Game Notes
» The Hokies put on a passing clinic, recording an assist on 62 percent of made field goals.
» Keve Aluma, Storm Murphy, and Hunter Cattoor combined to account for 81 percent of the Hokies' points.
» Aluma, Murphy and Cattoor were the only Hokies to score in the first half for Tech.
» The Hokies were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, recording six blocks as a team.
» Keve Aluma led the Hokies with a game-high 22 points - his fourth 20-point outing of the season.
» Virginia Tech got six rebounds from both Keve Aluma and Hunter Cattoor.
Commonwealth Clash presented by Smithfield
The win gives the Cavaliers half a point in the Commonwealth Clash, presented by Smithfield. The score for the Commonwealth Clash currently is 4-1.5 in favor of Virginia Tech.Gallery: (1-12-2022) MBB: Game at Virginia