At the under-four media timeout, #14 UVa. trailed Virginia Tech by four, and the way the game was going, it seemed that it was just not the Cavs’ night. And then suddenly a team that couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean found its touch from long-range.
Back-to-back-to-back three-pointers from Justin Anderson, Joe Harris and then Anderson again turned a 46-42 deficit into a 51-46 Virginia lead, and the ‘Hoos were able to fend off Virginia Tech down the stretch to pull out a tougher-than-expected 57-53 win in Blacksburg Tuesday night.
Virginia Tech (9-16, 2-11 ACC) led by as many as 10 points in the first half and extended its lead to 11 at 40-29 on a C.J. Barksdale jumper with 14:17 to go.
But the Hokies would make just two shots from the field in the next 13:45. Even so, Virginia Tech still led 46-42 at the 3:55 media timeout, and seemed to be in control of the game.
Virginia (22-5, 13-1 ACC) had the ball out of the timeout, and coach Tony Bennett set up a play to get a shot for Brogdon, who missed a jumper in the lane. Akil Mitchell rebounded, and the ball ended up in Anderson’s hands in the right corner for the open three.
Joe Harris stole a post entry pass on Tech’s next possession, and London Perrantes found Harris wide open on the left wing for another three and the Cavs’ first lead of the second half at 48-46 at the 2:35 mark.
Mitchell rebounded a Ben Emelogu miss on the Hokies’ next possession, and Perrantes found Anderson in the left corner this time for another open three and a 51-46 Virginia lead with 1:49 to go.
The Hokies would get no closer than four the rest of the way.
Virginia Tech led 28-21 at the half, and Virginia was fortunate to be down just seven at the break, getting a buzzer-beating three from Brogdon to cut into what had been a 10-point Hokie lead.
Brogdon led UVa. with 12 points, but was just 3-of-11 from the field. Perrantes had 11 points and three assists – all three assists coming in the sequence of the three three-pointers that turned the game in Virginia’s favor.
Mitchell had seven points and 10 rebounds for the ‘Hoos, who shot 39.2 percent from the field (20-for-51) and 36 percent (9-for-25) from three-point range.
Devin Wilson and Joey Van Zegeren had 13 points each for Virginia Tech, which shot 44.2 percent from the field (19-for-43) and 35.2 percent from three (6-of-17).
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