Virginia Tech’s Keve Aluma overwhelms Virginia for a Commonwealth Clash upset

By Gene Wang,

Virginia Tech’s Keve Aluma was having his way offensively during the first half Saturday night against rival Virginia, dominating so thoroughly that Cavaliers Coach Tony Bennett wound up rotating five players in an attempt to slow down the Hokies forward.

But Aluma continued to get virtually any shot he wanted, finishing with a career-high 29 points to spark the No. 20 Hokies to a 65-51 win over the No. 8 Cavaliers in the first leg of the Commonwealth Clash at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg.

“We see it every day in practice,” Virginia Tech guard Hunter Cattoor said. “It’s nothing new to us. We weren’t surprised. It’s just fun to see him going at every guy they tried to put in front of him, and none of them could still guard him.”

The junior, a transfer from Wofford, made 10 of 15 shots and added a game-high 10 rebounds with four assists to send Virginia to its first ACC loss in nearly a year, snapping the Cavaliers’ 15-game conference winning streak.

Virginia Tech (13-3, 7-2) posted its fourth win against a ranked opponent to move within a half-game of the Cavaliers (11-3, 7-1) for first place in the ACC. Saturday’s win secured the Hokies’ best eight-game start in conference history and gave them the inside track on the tiebreaker for the top seed in the ACC tournament.

“There is connectiveness to this team,” Coach Mike Young said. “There is a camaraderie. They’re like little ducklings that are together all the time. You see them on campus. They enjoy one another’s company. To see the energy on our bench when a kid makes a good play, a hustle play, a great defensive play, it’s heartwarming. It’s what team sports are supposed to be about.”

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Cattoor added 15 points for the Hokies, who used a 19-0 run late in the second half to forge a 63-47 lead with 2:50 to play. The surge included Wabissa Bede making a pair of free throws to put the Hokies in front to stay at 49-47 with 7:08 left after drawing a fourth personal foul against Virginia’s Jay Huff.

It was Virginia Tech’s first lead since the first half, and the Hokies continued to apply pressure defensively, holding Virginia without a point for more than seven minutes. The Hokies had tied the score at 47 on consecutive three-pointers from Naheim Alleyne, Bede and Cattoor.

The Cavaliers put four players in double figures, including Huff’s team-high 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting, but shot just 36.5 percent.

“You just can’t have big gaps where you’re not getting stops or being assertive enough,” Bennett said. “It was too easy for them to just post up, do things and then make some plays. We just weren’t right, and let that be a lesson. You can’t survive like that.”

Virginia had an eight-point halftime lead but saw it slip away in the 152nd meeting between the rivals but only the fifth when both were ranked.

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Virginia Tech was coming off its most complete defensive performance of the season, a 62-51 win at Notre Dame on Wednesday. That was the fewest points the Hokies have surrendered this season, and they did so despite being without starting guard Tyrece Radford for the first time. The Hokies’ second-leading scorer (11.1) and rebounder (6.3) was suspended indefinitely following an arrest Sunday on misdemeanor charges of driving while intoxicated and carrying a concealed weapon.

The third-year sophomore and two-year starter is scheduled for arraignment Feb. 9 in Montgomery (Va.) General District Court. Radford faces up to 12 months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500 for each of the Class 1 misdemeanor counts.

“I care for that guy,” Young said of Radford. “We’re moving in a good direction, but for this team to come back after a tough occurrence, to go to Notre Dame and win and to beat Virginia here tonight, it’s a real feather in their cap.”

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Aluma contributed significantly in Radford’s place against the Fighting Irish and carried that stellar play into the first half Saturday, scoring from behind the arc as well as on dunks in a matchup with Huff, who struggled to stay in front of Aluma early. Late in the half, Bennett took Huff out of the game and tabbed 6-foot-9 guard Trey Murphy III, a quicker player, to cover Aluma. The move kept Aluma in check for a bit, and the Cavaliers did not allow a point for more than six minutes on the way to opening a 29-21 halftime lead.

“We knew that they were a great team and that we would have to bring our ‘A’ game,” Aluma said. “So obviously excited to get the ‘W.’ ”