Big First Half Pushes Virginia Past Virginia Tech, 81-59

By Scott Ratcliffe

Sole possession of first place in the ACC belongs to No. 4 Virginia, as the Cavaliers used a dominant first half to roll over 9th-ranked Virginia Tech, 81-59, in front of a packed house Tuesday night at John Paul Jones Arena.

It was the ninth straight win for UVA against ranked opponents and second time since conference play began that the team has dismantled a team ranked in the top 10.

The Wahoos (16-0, 4-0) shot a lights-out 68 percent from the field (17 for 25) and 71 percent (10 for 14) from 3-point land in the first half alone, and doubled up on the Hokies (14-2, 3-1), 44-22, through 20 minutes of play en route to the big win.

“I thought we played very well as a team,” said Virginia coach Tony Bennett, who got another 20-point performance from sophomore forward De’Andre Hunter, and a solid all-around effort from everyone who registered minutes.

“We knew that [the Hokies] were going to trap, and when they stopped trapping for some reason, I just tried to take advantage of the guy that was guarding me,” Hunter explained.

Hunter poured in a game-high 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting, his fourth game with 20-plus this season, to go with his 5 rebounds and 2 assists.

“[Hunter] was so complete tonight,” Bennett stated. “He scored in the post, he turned and faced, he drove, played some [small forward], handled the ball well, played some [power forward]… and I thought his versatility was on full display tonight.”

Junior point guard Ty Jerome notched his first career double-double, finishing with 14 points (5 for 10 FG, 4 for 7 from downtown) and a career-best 12 assists, which also set a JPJ record. Jerome knocked down three of his four triples in just under seven minutes to set the tone, and when he wasn’t sinking 3s, he was distributing the rock. Jerome had seven dimes by halftime, as the ‘Hoos were moving the ball with precision.

“I really like how [Jerome] shared the ball, but everyone was moving the ball and sharing it,” said Bennett. “Because of the way Virginia Tech defends, if you don’t move it, they’re going to kind of smother you. They’re going to jam the lane and you can’t drive, so it’s got to be drive, kick, next pass, and we made some good plays.”

After Ahmed Hill scored to cut Virginia’s lead to 21-14 midway through the first, the ‘Hoos went on a 14-5 run over the next five minutes that included a pair of triples by Guy, one by Jerome and one by freshman guard Kihei Clark to open things up and stretch the lead to double digits.

Jerome found Clark in front of the Hokie bench for 3 to beat the halftime buzzer, marking the 10th 3-ball of the half for the ‘Hoos.

“JPJ was amazing tonight, so thank you to all the fans,” Jerome said afterwards. “They gave us a little extra energy boost in the beginning. Coach Bennett said the energy will fade, but it’s about doing what we do throughout the course of the game.”

Tech coach Buzz Williams said the Cavaliers tend to move the ball well, not just against his Hokies, and recognized that the exceptional passing made the difference from the jump.

“That is probably a big part of what they do offensively,” Williams admitted. “They shot the ball incredibly well in the first half, we were just behind. We were behind on ball pressure, behind on rotation and behind on stunts. With space, categorically, their whole team can make shots. They did for sure in the first half.”

Clark did an amazing job defensively on Tech’s Justin Robinson, who came into the contest leading the ACC in assists. Robinson finished with 9 points on 2-of-7 shooting, and only dished out a pair of assists against Clark’s smothering on-ball defense. Midway through the second half, Robinson was whistled for a technical after his frustration got the most of him and he forcefully shoved the ball at Clark.

“My job is to touch the ball and disrupt their offense, and if their point guard is doing that, then I am doing something right,” Clark said.

The Hokies battled back with an 11-4 spurt to start the second half, but that only cut the Wahoo lead to 14, and that’s as close as it would get.

VT shot 43 percent for the game (19 for 44) and 33 percent (7 for 21) from distance. Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 13 of his team-high 19 points after halftime, while Ahmed Hill was the only other Hokie in double figures with 14. Hill scored a dozen of those in the second half.

Guy extended his streak of games with at least one made 3-pointer to 16 games and finished with 15 points (5 for 9 FG, 3 for 5 from deep) and 5 rebounds. Clark matched career marks with 9 points and 3 3-pointers in just over 30 minutes of action after shedding his cast on his left wrist.

“He had tape and he had more mobility,” Bennett said. “He’s going to say, ‘That’s all I needed, Coach.’ Banging those threes was huge. But his job against [Robinson], one of the better guards in our league without a doubt, I’ve watched his game evolve over his four years, and Kihei, he’s just got something inside of him.

“Those of you who have watched us can see that. He won’t back down, he’s quick and he’s got a low center of gravity, and that bodes well and he just made [Robinson] earn most of the night.”

Jay Huff and Braxton Key each scored 7 points off the bench, while starters Jack Salt and Mamadi Diakite chipped in with 4 apiece.

UVA shot 59 percent (31 for 53) for the game, including 54 percent (13 of 24) from beyond the arc. The ‘Hoos outrebounded another opponent, this time the margin was 27-19. The UVA bench outscored Tech, 23-11, and Virginia scored 32 points in the paint, compared to 18 for the Hokies.

Next up is a trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium to face top-ranked Duke Saturday at 6 p.m.