No. 4 Virginia Rolls Past No. 9 Virginia Tech
Postgame Notes | Postgame Quotes | Boxscore
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 4 Virginia (16-0, 4-0 ACC) shot 60 percent with 10 three points in the first half on its way to an 81-59 win over No. 9 Virginia Tech (14-2, 3-1) in a Commonwealth Clash on Tuesday evening at John Paul Jones Arena.
Three players scored in double figures, with Ty Jerome (New Rochelle, N.Y.) had a double-double with 14 points and 12 assists. De’Andre Hunter (Philadelphia, Pa.) led the game with 21 points and Kyle Guy (Indianapolis, Ind.) added 15 points. Kihei Clark (Woodland Hills, Calif.) added nine points on three three-pointers.
Virginia finished its hot shooting night 58 percent from the floor and 54 percent from three-point range. The Cavaliers Scored 32 points in the paint, to 18 for Virginia Tech.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Virginia scored the first five points of the game, including Jerome’s first of four threes in the first half. UVA hit back-to-back three pointers by Hunter and Jerome, then had a stretch of four three pointers in 14-5 run. The Cavaliers then closed the half on a 9-2 run, capped off by a three pointer by Clark at the buzzer. Virginia Tech made a run to cut it to 14, but Virginia would extend its lead to 25 with a 13-4 run and take the 81-59 win.
THE GAME BALL GOES TO
De’Andre Hunter scored 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting with five rebounds. Hunter hit a key three in the first run, then had a jumper and dunk in UVA’s second run of the half.
COMMONWEALTH CLASH
The Commonwealth Clash encourages a friendly, statewide rivalry between the two schools across all school-sponsored sports with 21 individual event points on the line. The school that accumulates 11 points or more will be crowned the winner and take home the Virginia529 Commonwealth Clash trophy. With the win, UVA secured a half point in the Clash and the Hokies lead this year’s Clash 4-3.
NOTES
• UVA has a nine-game winning streak vs. ranked opponents
• UVA shot 68 percent (17 of 25) and made 10 of 14 3’s pointers to gain a 44-22 halftime lead
• UVA is 3-0 against teams from the Commonwealth of Virginia, posting wins against VCU (57-49), William & Mary (72-40) and Virginia Tech (81-59)
• Jerome tallied his first career double-double with 14 points and career-high 12 assists, Jerome’s 12 assists marked a John Paul Jones Arena record
• Kihei Clark matched season highs in points (9) and 3-pointers (3)
• Hunter netted his fourth 20-point effort this season
• Guy has a 16-game 3-pointer streak and has made two of more 3-pointers in each of the past seven games
QUOTES
On Ty Jerome’s performance:
“I thought we played very well as a team. For [Ty Jerome], you look at that stat line with 14 points [and] 12 assists, he loosened it up early with some of those long threes that we’ve seen him make over the years. He really controlled the game well, played hard and I can’t say enough about a lot of the guys and the way they played. Virginia Tech puts pressure on you, they really do. We had to play that well and I know we separated, but they did miss some shots early. But we played really hard, the atmosphere was incredible and we were so balanced. I really like how [Ty Jerome] shared the ball, but everyone was moving the ball and sharing it. 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.”
On De’Andre Hunter’s contributions:
“[De’Andre Hunter] was so complete tonight. He scored in the post, he turned and faced, he drove, played some three, handled the ball well, played some four, the forward spot for us, and I thought his versatility was on full display tonight. I think [Nickeil Alexander-Walker] is a tremendous player for them. They are two super-sophomores, if you want to say it that way. But I thought De’Andre really was so efficient and worked hard defensively too. So, it wasn’t just an offensive performance, it was a complete performance.”
UP NEXT
Virginia will be back on the road to face top-ranked Duke on Saturday, Jan. 19 at 6 p.m. Tipoff at Cameron Indoor Stadium is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN. College GameDay Covered by State Farm returns to Cameron Indoor Stadium prior to the game. The pregame show will air on ESPN at 11 a.m.