Hunter's 14 leads No. 8 Virginia past Virginia Tech, 78-52
Jan. 03, 2018
Final Stats | Quotes | Notes
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) De’Andre Hunter scored 14 points and No. 8 Virginia put the defensive clamps on Virginia Tech in a 78-52 victory Wednesday night.
Ty Jerome and Kyle Guy added 13 points each and Devon Hall had 12 for the Cavaliers (13-1, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who ended a two-game losing streak in Cassell Coliseum.
Kerry Blackshear Jr. had 14 points to lead the Hokies (11-4, 0-2). Virginia Tech came into the game leading the nation in field goal percentage at .532 and among the leaders in 3-point percentage at .427, but they made only 17 of 47 shots and were just 2 of 12 from 3-point territory. Scoring leaders Ahmed Hill (15.6 ppg) and Justin Bibbs (14.6) finished with a combined eight points on 3-for-14 shooting.
Virginia led 37-25 at halftime and expanded its lead throughout the second half. A 15-0 run that featured 3-pointers by Jerome, Nigel Johnson and Guy pushed the margin to 63-35 with 6:50 remaining. When Justin Robinson ended the run with a layup for the Hokies, he also ended a Virginia Tech scoring drought that lasted more than 6 minutes.
Virginia led throughout and used an 11-4 run late in the first half to open a 37-23 edge. Guy started it with a 3-pointer, Hall and Hunter both converted offensive rebounds and Jack Salt finished the flurry with a dunk.
BIG PICTURE
Virginia: The Cavaliers weren’t bothered by Virginia Tech’s game-long full-court press, committing just six turnovers. They also hit on 12 of 25 3-pointers with six players connecting at least once from beyond the arc.
Virginia Tech: The Hokies averaged better than 90 points during the nonconference portion of their schedule, but have found offense more difficult to come by since ACC play started. They managed just 56 points in a 12-point loss to Syracuse in their league opener before facing Virginia, one of the nation’s top defensive teams.
COMMONWEALTH CLASH
Tonight’s game was sponsored by Virginia529, the official college savings plan of University of Virginia Athletics. With Virginia’s victory, the Hoos have earned a half-point in the Virginia529 Commonwealth Clash. The score for the Clash is now University of Virginia – 1.5 and Virginia Tech – 4. Learn more about Virginia529 and this competition at TheCommmonwealthClash.com.
UP NEXT
Virginia returns home to face No. 12 North Carolina on Saturday.
The Hokies are at home again, facing Pittsburgh on Saturday.
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