The Virginia Tech Hokies entered Saturday’s game in Charlottesville against 13th-ranked Virginia needing a win to have a legitimate shot at the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, the Hokies got off to a slow start, later recovered, but it was not enough enough as the Cavaliers won the rematch 76-72.
UVA jumped on the Hokies early, taking a 12-0 lead. Tech couldn’t buy a basket, missing eight of its first nine attempts from 3-point range. They fought back, cutting the lead to 27-21 with 5:50 remaining
in the first half, but the Hoos went on a 14-4 run to take a 41-25 lead into halftime.
Tech came out of halftime hot, scoring seven in a row to make it 41-32. The Hokies would narrow the lead to four after Ben Hammond’s two free throws, and suddenly it was a four-point game, 48-44. Jaccari White drained a 3-point shot for Virginia, making it 51-44. Then, the Hokies would score seven straight and finally had a tie game.
Again, though, the Cavaliers responded with a run of their own, scoring eight straight, and it was suddenly an eight-point game again. The Hokies would bring it back down to four on multiple occasions, but failed to either get a stop or take advantage of open looks. VT’s last best chance came with 2:10 remaining when Ben Hammond stole the ball and was quickly fouled. Down 67-63, Hammond inexplicably missed both free throws. On the other side, Virginia big man Ugonna Onyenso hit a 3-pointer, and the game was back to seven points.
It was that type of day for the Hokies.
As a team, Tech shot 42% from the field and made eight of 32 (25%) from beyond the arc. Hammond was the player of the game for both sides, finishing with 21 points, five assists, five steals and four rebounds. Hansberry and Jailen Bedford each scored 12 for the Hokies, while Tobi Lawal had eight points and seven rebounds. Onyenso and Malik Thomas each scored 16 to lead the Hoos.
Virginia Tech finishes the regular season 19-12 and 8-10 in ACC play. Next up is the ACC Tournament, where Virginia holds the No. 2 seed, and the Hokies have the 12th seed. Virginia Tech opens the ACC Tournament on Tuesday against the No. 13 seed Wake Forest.
Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young struggled to come up with the right words after the game.
Barring an extended ACC Tournament run, this looks to be another disappointing season that ends with a trip to the NIT.
