Virginia Tech lost one of its best players over the weekend and the team was supposed to take a step back while looking for answers on how to replace him. The only problem with that was that someone forgot to tell the team. The Hokies left on Saturday night and played one of their best games of the season, eliminating Virginia’s # 8 by a final score of 65 to 51. This win pushes the Hokies into exclusive possession of second place in the conference, only half – game behind Virginia.
The Hokies came with hardness and physicality to unbalance the UVA and it all started with the incredible performance of Keve Aluma. Keve ended the game with 29 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists, the record of his career, and did an excellent job putting his defender on the air and causing fouls. Aluma did not do everything in ink, hitting two points from three points in the game, but it was clear that his strength and speed were too much for the big guys in Virginia to take.
Wabissa Bede showed some of her toughness in defense and helped the Hokies put an end to the Cavaliers’ scores for long periods, especially after moving to Kihei Clark. Neither team scored in the last three minutes and twenty-three seconds of the first half, but Virginia was kept goalless for seven minutes and sixteen seconds in the final ten minutes of the game. The defense was very firm and did a good job of forcing the Cavaliers into close kicks and avoiding offensive rebounds.
Hunter Cattoor had another good performance with 15 points, going 3 out of 5 beyond the arc. His shot helped seal the deal during Virginia’s offensive drought and allowed the Hokies to slow things down. Hunter also appeared strong on the defensive end with 2 blocks high from the team. Jalen Cone started out of his fall in the second half with two to three, Bede added 7 points, while Mutts added 4 points and Alleyne added 3 points. It was the perfect example of a team performing its functions effectively to obtain an excellent result.
Virginia had the advantage at halftime and looked like it would contain the Hokies’ attack for most of the game. Jay Huff was the team leader with 13 points and could have done more if he didn’t have to sit in trouble. Kihei Clark followed closely with 13 points, but did everything in the first half. Sam Hauser and Trey Murhpy III added 10 points, Casey Morsell had 4 points, Justin McKoy 2 points and Reece Beekman 1 point.
The Wahoos were hitting the lights in the first half, finishing 46% behind the arc and several of them in difficult defense. It looked like it would be a typical Virginia game, where they hit hard kicks and found a way to hold the opponent at about 38% of the pitch. However, those numbers changed in the second half and the Hokies were the ones who ended the game with 50% strikes on the field and holding the Cavaliers with 36%. The second half of Virginia Tech’s turnaround on defensive stops and offensive execution was almost a textbook and gave the team a big win when it looked like a statement was needed.
Mike Young said he would give the team a break on Sunday after the impressive win, but would return hungry on Monday to start preparing for a game in Pittsburgh on Wednesday night at 7pm. One thing is for sure, it’s time to stop counting the Hokies.