Virginia Basketball Defeats Virginia Tech 78-68 | Live Updates
The Virginia Cavaliers (14-3, 6-2 ACC) defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies (11-7, 1-6 ACC) 78-68 in the Commonwealth Clash on Wednesday night at John Paul Jones Arena. See a full play-by-play and live analysis for the game below. Most recent updates are at the top of the page.
Read a full recap of the game here: Clark's Season-High 20 Points Propels Virginia Over Virginia Tech 78-68
Final Score: Virginia Tech 68, Virginia 78
Virginia Tech gets multiple second-chance opportunities as the Cavaliers can't come up with a defensive rebound and eventually Pedulla lobs to Mutts, who finishes at the rim. Mike Young instructs his team not to foul and Reece Beekman dribbles out the clock. Round 1 of the Commonwealth Clash goes to Virginia, who defeats Virginia Tech 78-68.
Virginia Tech 68, Virginia 78 | Final
Beekman completes the three-point play and Virginia is on a 6-0 run. Virginia Tech ends that run as MJ Collins draws a mismatch with Vander Plas on him and hits a smooth step-back three-pointer. Vander Plas has the ball stolen from him in the paint and that leads to a transition opportunity for the Hokies, as Pedulla feeds to Cattoor, who splashes the three-pointer in rhythm from the left wing to bring the Hokies back within eight. Virginia responds with a key bucket as Vander Plas scores over Cattoor with a hook shot. Virginia gets a big stop and then Pedulla fouls Kihei Clark, who goes to the line and makes both to give him 20 points on the night.
Virginia Tech 66, Virginia 78 | 1:21 2H
UVA nearly turns the ball over, but Vander Plas collects the ball and sends a pass out to a wide open Kihei Clark, who hits the three-pointer from the corner to push the Virginia lead back to 11. Clark is up to 18 points to lead all scorers. UVA gets a stop as Basile misses a three and then Reece Beekman drives down the lane, scoring with his inside hand plus a foul on Maddox. Virginia leads 73-60 with under four minutes to play.
Virginia Tech 60, Virginia 73 | 3:52 2H
With the shot clocking winding down, Kihei Clark hits a big-time step-back three-pointer. Reece Beekman comes up with a steal and starts a transition opportunity for UVA, passing to McKneely, who then passes to Gardner, who finishes at the rim plus a foul on Cattoor. Gardner completes the three-point play at the line to put Virginia up by 10. MJ Collins grabs an offensive rebound and muscles his way to the rim for a layup. Virginia answers immediately on the other end, as Beekman feeds Isaac McKneely for a catch-and-shoot three-pointer from the right wing, a huge shot from the true freshman to put UVA ahead by 11 points. Pedulla drives baseline, causing the UVA defense to collapse, and then kicks out to Grant Basile, who hits the open three from the right wing. Mike Young calls a timeout with his Hokies trailing by eight points with just under five minutes remaining.
Virginia Tech 60, Virginia 68 | 4:51 2H
Kihei Clark chases down a long defensive rebound and uses that to start a fastbreak, drawing a foul on Pedulla on the other end of the floor and making both free throws. Justyn Mutts gets good positioning down low and elevates over Ryan Dunn for a hook shot, ending a 6-0 run for UVA. Clark drives to the rim and scores with a high-arcing lefty hook off the glass. Virginia Tech answers right away as Pedulla feeds down low to Mutts for another layup. Mutts fakes a handoff and Gardner bites on it, allowing Mutts to stroll uncontested to the basket for an easy dunk.
Virginia Tech 55, Virginia 59 | 7:56 2H
Ben Vander Plas springs free after setting a screen and Beekman quickly feeds him the ball for a three-pointer, the second of the game for Vander Plas. Sean Pedulla pulls the trigger on a deep three-pointer and drains it, Virginia Tech's ninth three of the game. Basile grabs an offensive rebound over Vander Plas and lays it in to pull the Hokies back within two. Isaac McKneely attacks Maddox off the dribble and draws a foul, making both free throws. Virginia gets a stop as Basile misses a three and then McKneely drives aggressively again, this time scoring with a floater that rattles around the rim before dropping.
Virginia Tech 49, Virginia 55 | 11:09 2H
Jayden Gardner gets the ball down low and hits a fadeaway jumper over Mutts to get the scoring started in the second half. Vander Plas gives Darius Maddox room on the three-point line and Maddox takes advantage, pulling up and draining the three-pointer. Mutts gets around Gardner and drives to the basket for an easy layup. Gardner gets Mutts back on the other end, driving and drawing a foul, making 1/2 free throws. Grant Basile pops free to top of the key off of a screen and splashes a catch-and-shoot three-pointer over Vander Plas. Armaan Franklin knocks down a much-needed three-pointer for the Cavaliers from the top of the key. Virginia Tech has an answer on the other end as Pedulla gets to the rim for a layup. The Hokies get another stop and then Darius Maddox makes his third three-pointer of the game, making it a two-point game. Jayden Gardner hits his patented mid-range jumper from the baseline, but he picks up his second foul on the other end of the floor. The Hokies have made each of their last five shots.
Virginia Tech 44, Virginia 48 | 14:35 2H
Kihei Clark comes around a screen and uses a hesitation move to get past Pedulla for a lefty layup. That's a 7-0 run for Virginia to match its largest lead of the game at nine points. Cattoor gets away from Beekman on a backdoor cut and finishes the layup after receiving the pass from Mutts. Beekman atones for the defensive mistakes on the final play of the first half, as he drives strong down the lane and elevates for a thunderous one-hand dunk. Beekman's explosive dunk gives Virginia a 40-31 lead at halftime.
Virginia Tech 31, Virginia 40 | Halftime
Hunter Cattoor's elbow looks pretty healthy tonight. He knocks down his second three-pointer of the game from the top of the key. With the shot-clocking winding down, Reece Beekman pulls up for a three-pointer with a hand in his face and buries it. Clark gets into the paint, looks off a defender, and then sends a great bounce pass to Franklin, who finishes the play with a strong dunk. Tony Bennett calls his use it or lose it timeout with 1:25 left in the first half.
Virginia Tech 29, Virginia 36 | 1:25
Jayden Gardner finally puts an end to Virginia's scoring drought with a mid-range jumper from the baseline. Virginia gets a stop and then Gardner goes right back to work, spinning on Kidd in the post and scoring with a hook shot. Virginia Tech uses some great ball movement to create an open look for Sean Pedulla, who splashes the open three-pointer from the top of the key to regain the lead. Gardner passes down low to Franklin, who posts up on Hunter Cattoor, gets him to bite on a pump fake and hits a floater plus a foul on Cattoor. Franklin makes the free throw to complete UVA's third three-point play of the first half. Maddox comes around a screen and hits another jumper. Vander Plas pops free after setting a screen, receives the pass from Franklin, and drains a three-pointer despite a tight close-out from Mutts. Kihei Clark uses a fantastic in-and-out crossover move to get past Pedulla, freeing himself for a wide open drive to the basket for an easy layup.
Virginia Tech 26, Virginia 31 | 3:46 1H
Sean Pedulla drives on Kihei Clark, before stopping and hitting a fadeaway jumper from the baseline. Grant Basile slips a screen and rolls to the basket, finishing over Vander Plas and Franklin at the rim. The Hokies trailed by as many as nine points, but have now cut it back to three with a 6-0 run. Virginia has gone more than four minutes without a basket. It's now a 9-0 run for Virginia Tech as Darius Maddox hits a corner three to tie the game at 19-19. UVA comes up empty again and then Maddox hits a tough contested jumper from just inside the three-point line, giving Virginia Tech its first lead of the game.
Virginia Tech 21, Virginia 19 | 7:46 1H
Beekman completes the three-point play at the free throw line. The Hokies knock down their first field goal of the game nearly five minutes in as MJ Collins gets free on the left wing and hits the three-pointer. Ryan Dunn makes another big play, snatching an offensive rebound in traffic and laying it in off the glass plus a foul on Basile. Dunn makes the free throw for another three-point play for Virginia. In his return from injury, Hunter Cattoor knocks down a three-pointer, a great sign for the Hokies. Armaan Franklin answers with a three-pointer of his own as he drains a triple from the top of the key. UVA doubles in the post and Mutts dishes to Lynn Kidd, who is wide open coming down the lane for a slam dunk. Clark nearly loses his handle driving to the paint, but he recovers and maneuvers his way through multiple defenders to the rim for a sweet layup. Lynn Kidd scores again, this time with a hook shot over Kadin Shedrick.
Virginia Tech 12, Virginia 19 | 10:28 1H
On the first possession of the game, Kihei Clark comes free around a screen and then threads a bounce pass down low to Ben Vander Plas, who scores with a reverse layup off the glass. Virginia doubles in the post and Justyn Mutts passes out to Grant Basile, who has a free lane to the basket, but Vander Plas fouls Basile to prevent the easy layup. Ryan Dunn checks into the game to replace Vander Plas. Basile makes both free throws. Basile tries to go right at Ryan Dunn, but Dunn stands his ground and then blocks Basile's hook shot attempt. Reece Beekman finds Armaan Franklin down low for a layup. An offensive rebound for Jayden Gardner leads to a second-chance bucket as Franklin gets to the rim for another layup. Kihei Clark picks the pocket of Sean Pedulla and takes it the other way for a breakaway layup. Virginia gets another stop and then Reece Beekman drives to the basket and finishes at the rim plus a foul on Justyn Mutts. It's an 8-0 run for UVA and JPJ is going crazy as the Cavaliers build an early 10-2 lead.
Virginia Tech 2, Virginia 10 | 15:46 1H
