Virginia’s 15-game ACC winning streak is over, as #19 Virginia Tech seized control with a 19-0 second-half run on its way to a 65-51 win in Blacksburg Saturday night.
UVA (11-3, 7-1 ACC) led by eight at halftime, pushed it to double digits early in the second half, but never could get untracked offensively.
A Jay Huff tip-in with 8:25 left gave the ‘Hoos a 47-44 lead, but they wouldn’t score again for more than seven minutes, failing on 12 straight possessions until a Justin McKoy jumper in garbage time.
Keve Aluma had a huge night for the Hokies (13-3, 7-2 ACC), scoring a career-high 29 points on 10-15 shooting and grabbing 10 rebounds.
He had 16 in the first half, when practically no one else on his side was hitting – UVA led 29-21 at the break, holding Tech scoreless for the final 6:10 of the first half.
Virginia had hit on 7-of-15 from three in the opening 20 minutes, but everything shut down in the final stanza for the Cavaliers, who were just 8-of-27 (29.6 percent) from the floor and 3-of-13 from long-range.
A Hunter Cattoor three tied the game at 47 with 7:22 to go, and at that point, the Hokies had outscored the ‘Hoos 13-4 over a 5:54 stretch.
Then Jay Huff picked up a touch foul for his fourth of the night on a loose ball on UVA’s next possession, sending him to the bench with his fourth foul.
Things escalated quickly from there.
A pair of free throws by Wabissa Bede, an and-one from Aluma, two more Aluma short jumpers, another Cattoor three, and it was 59-47 Tech at the under-four media timeout.
Huff led UVA with 13 points. Kihei Clark had 11, and Sam Hauser and Trey Murphy III each added 10.
Story by Chris Graham
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