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Feb. 12, 2005

Box Score |Quotes | Video Highlights

By HANK KURZ Jr.
AP Sports Writer

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP)Gary Forbes scored 17 points in the last 13:09of the second half Saturday and Virginia rallied to beat Virginia Tech 65-60,the Cavaliers’ third consecutive dramatic victory.

Forbes scored 14 points of Virginia’s 16 points in a span of 6{ minutes whenthe Cavaliers (13-9, 4-7 Atlantic Coast Conference) turned a 38-32 deficit intoa 48-46 lead with 6:32 remaining. Sean Singletary’s 3-pointer made it 51-46,and Virginia led by at least three thereafter.

The Hokies (12-10, 5-6), who beat the Cavaliers 79-73 in Blacksburg 16 daysearlier, closed to 62-58 on Coleman Collins’ dunk with 33.9 seconds left.Forbes hit a free throw, then blocked Jamon Gordon’s shot, but Collins stuffedit back it to make it 63-60 with 22.8 seconds left.

The Hokies fouled T.J. Bannister with 21.4 seconds to go, and he made themboth before two stops close to the Hokies basket sealed the outcome.

The Cavaliers, coming off late victories against North Carolina State andFlorida State, will have a tougher time keeping it going in their next game,when they travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., to play No. 3 North Carolina.

Forbes led the Cavaliers with 21 points, Devin Smith had 16 and Singletaryhad 10 points, six rebounds and seven assists.

Zabian Dowdell led Virginia Tech with 20 points and Collins had 19, but theHokies’ No. 2 scorer, Carlos Dixon, sat out most of the first half in foultrouble and finished with four, 10 below his average.

The Hokies used a 12-4 run to take a 19-11 lead with 8 minutes left in thefirst half. Virginia immediately scored 13 of the next 17 to take its firstlead at 24-23, and the teams were tied 26-all at the break.

Only four Hokies scored, with Dowdell (11) and Collins (10) accounting forall but five of the points. Smith had 10 to lead the Cavaliers.

Virginia also celebrated its 100 years playing basketball at halftime withabout 50 former players and a triple-decker cake at center court.

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