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Virginia Suffers Overtime Loss at Virginia Tech
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BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) – Jeff Allen scored four points in a 10-2 run to start overtime and Virginia Tech kept rival Virginia in a downward spiral with a 72-65 victory Saturday, the Cavaliers’ fourth straight loss and seventh in eight games.
Deron Washington scored 15 points, A.D. Vassallo 14 and Allen 12 for the freshmen-laden Hokies (14-8, 5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), who won their third consecutive game and continued to be one of the surprise teams in the league.
Sean Singletary led Virginia (11-9, 1-6) with 26 points despite being hobbled by a hip pointer, and Jamil Tucker had 10. Singletary hit a pair of free throws with 7.9 seconds in regulation to force overtime, but the Hokies dominated the extra period.
Allen scored inside to start it, and Vassallo made it a 58-54 with a dunk. After Singletary’s jumper in the lane, Malcolm Delaney made a pair of free throws for the Hokies and Hank Thorns fed Allen all alone underneath for a dunk with 2:06 left.
Thorns’ basket made it 64-56 and Virginia never got closer than six again.
In the final seconds, the fans at sold-out Cassell Coliseum serenaded the Cavaliers with a favorite chant: “Just like football! Just like football!”
Less than three weeks ago, the Hokies won at Virginia in overtime on a driving layup by Washington that dropped as the buzzer sounded at John Paul Jones Arena.
Washington almost was the hero again, too.
Tied at 52 with 20 seconds left, Singeltary’s 3-point try missed, and Washington went high to grab the rebound. He then sprinted downcourt and followed Vassallo’s missed drive with a putback dunk with 13.9 seconds left to give Tech the lead.
Washington then was assigned to guard Singletary, and Singletary drove down the right side, drew J.T. Thompson in help defense and was hammered by both as he attempted to shoot, hitting the floor hard. He then made both free throws to tie the game.
The Hokies should have won in regulation when Thompson was all alone under the basket to put back Thorns’ shot, but his attempt to lay it in came up short, and Delaney rebounded and missed, too, though it wasn’t clear his would have counted.
The sent the game to overtime, just like the first meeting.
Jamil Tucker scored eight straight points and Adrian Joseph hit a 3-pointer to cap and 11-0 run that gave Virginia a 38-32 lead. The Cavaliers were already in the penalty and kept sending the Hokies to the line, and it was effective defense for a while.
Allen made only 4 of 8 over a span of 2 1/2 minutes, and in between Mamadi Diane hit a 3-pointer, Ryan Pettinella scored inside and Mike Scott made a pair from the line for Virginia, giving the Cavaliers a 50-44 advantage with 3:30 to play.
Washington, however, made 3 of 4 from the line, and when he missed the last one, Lewis Witcher rebounded, then took a pass from Washington for a dunk to make it 50-49.
After a tip in by Diane was disallowed because he hung on the rim for goaltending, Vassallo hit a 3-pointer to give the Hokies their first lead since early in the half.
Diane scored in the lane to tie it, but missed the go-ahead free throw.
The first half was dominated by two runs – a 14-0 spurt by Virginia that gave them a 23-11 lead, followed immediately by a 12-0 run by the Hokies that tied it at 23.
A 3-pointer by Singletary ended Virginia’s 8-minute scoreless drought, and J.T. Thompson’s putback 8 seconds before halftime pulled the Hokies within 26-25.