Virginia Tech Drops Commonwealth Clash Matchup with UVA
Virginia Tech took on UVA Wednesday night, leaving John Paul Jones Arena with a disappointing 65-57 loss in the Commonwealth Clash.
The Hokies opened up with a turnover right off the bat, which set the tone for the entire game. It seemed like every possession ended with a missed shot, bad pass, or steal, and it didn’t look bright through the first half.
Having Hunter Cattoor back in the lineup after a head injury sent him to the locker room against Clemson was a welcome sight for Tech. The Hokies held the lead through the first five minutes despite the turnovers, fueled by a set of threes, one from MJ Collins, one from Cattoor, and one from Sean Pedulla.
The game quickly swayed in favor of the Cavaliers with Reece Beekman getting to work on both ends of the floor. The reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Year came up with two steals and 10 points in the half. He caused a ton of issues for the Hokies' offensive attack, which scored only 18 points before halftime.
VT managed to grab a bit of momentum before heading into the locker room with another three from Cattoor. The Hokies’ seven-point deficit didn’t feel close at all though, it seemed like they needed to cross the Grand Canyon for a win in JPJ. With 20 minutes down, Tech had 10 turnovers, shot 27% from the field, and didn’t look like the same team that took down Clemson a week ago.
In the second half, Robbie Beran opened it up with a shot behind the arc, but the Cavaliers quickly turned the tide back in their favor with nine straight points. At this point, UVA only needed to close out the game, but Tech fought back to five with a few buckets from Pedulla.
The Hokies managed to hold on for a minute and give the fans a game worth watching, but eventually let it slip away once again later in the half. The turnovers had slowed a bit, but not enough to keep the pressure on UVA. The Hokies left with another road loss, 0-4 on the season in enemy territory.
UVA had 10 steals in total, four credited to Beekman. He also had 16 points, four boards, and four assists. Jordan Minor was also a problem for the Hokies, scoring 16 with two steals and five rebounds.
Virginia Tech shot 39% from the field and just under 37% from 3PT for the night. The Hokies also left with 15 turnovers.
Pedulla once again led Tech in scoring with 18 points. This ends his insane scoring run of 26, 32, and 33 points in the last three games. Pedulla also had six rebounds, five assists, and seven turnovers. Cattoor followed with 12-4-3 with two steals, and Beran had 10 points and six boards.
Virginia Tech will try to put an end to the two-game slide against NC State on the road on Saturday.
