After losing the first four road games by an average of 20 points, Virginia was able to pick up its first true away win of the season against Georgia Tech, 75-66. The Cavaliers (13-5, 4-3 ACC), led by star guards sophomore Isaac McKneely and senior Reese Beekman, combined for 39 points and defeated the Yellow Jackets (9-9). (2 wins, 5 losses, ACC). Previously ranked Clemson in the last game.
As has often been the case this season, Virginia got off to a slow start in this game, losing the early tipoff and allowing Georgia Tech to score its first five points before Beekman hit sophomore guard Ryan Dunn with a 3-pointer. , giving the Cavaliers an advantage. On the Yellow Jackets' next possession, freshman guard Nathan George sank two free throws to extend the lead, and Beekman answered with a jump shot after assisting senior forward Jordan Miner on a layup. After another Georgia Tech basket, Dunn cleaned up Beekman's miss with a raucous dunk, sending the game into a TV timeout with Virginia leading 11-7.
After several wasted shots by both teams, Beekman sank a mid-range jump shot, but the Yellow Jackets responded with a 3-pointer to extend their lead. Sophomore guard Dante Harris hit a layup for the Cavaliers, but Georgia Tech went on an eight-point run to take a 22-11 lead before Harris' layup ended the run.
After that, the game slowed down with neither team scoring easily. Miner made one free throw, but with over a minute to go and several misses and turnovers by both teams, sophomore guard Andrew Rohde made a pass to a wide-open Beekman in the corner. , earned 3 points. Beekman then returned the favor by scoring three more points on Rode after a minor steal. After Georgia Tech took a timeout, George hit a 3-pointer to temporarily halt the flow, and freshman forward Baye Ndongo added a short basket with a minor free throw. This was the Yellow Jackets' last score of the first half.
Trailing 29-21 with less than four minutes left, the Cavaliers started to pick up steam. Beekman made a spinning layup and McKneely hit a 3-pointer from the wing. After a timeout, McKneely sank another 3-pointer to tie the score and gave Ryan Dunn a jump shot to secure the lead. Georgia Tech tried to take a final shot with 1.8 seconds left, but Beekman knocked the pass wide of the box. Senior guard Tain Murray forced a bad pass on the ensuing inbounds, chased the ball all over the court and then picked it up at the three-point line, which restarted the clock and took two steps forward for what looked like a buzzer-beater. I made a layup. Virginia gained momentum with a 12-0 run before intermission, leading 33-29 at halftime.
The Cavaliers continued to play well after the break, making two of their first four shots and extending their lead to nine points. However, the Yellow Jackets refused to play quietly and sank a deep 3-pointer to take the game back. McKneely then made a 3-pointer off a nice pin-down screen and Beekman converted an and-one with a transition layup to put Virginia up 44-32.
As the second half progressed, both teams traded blows. Then, for Georgia Tech, senior forward Theishorn Clyde made an and-one of his own, and a foul by Beekman led to George making two more free throws. Beekman assisted McKneely's long two and then made a tough shot of his own with just a few minutes left on the shot clock.
After exchanging a few more shots, McKneely hit his fourth 3-pointer of the game, an incredible heave from well beyond the arc to give Virginia a 10-point lead. Claude and Beekman each made tough jump shots, Minor sank free throws and Dunn chipped Beekman's missed shot. Ndongo hit a layup and McKneely made a rhythmic 3-pointer to give the Cavaliers a 14-point lead, their largest of the night. The Yellow Jackets went on a 6-2 run, but Beekman found easy shots from Rode and Minor.
With six minutes left, Virginia led 67-53 and it looked like the game was going into cruise control, but Georgia Tech didn't give up. The Yellow Jackets' defense began switching between man and zone defenses and employed a full-court press to thwart the Cavaliers. Suddenly, Virginia was trailing by just five points and went without scoring for nearly four minutes.
Miner's backup, senior forward Jacob Groves, hit a 3-pointer to finally get Virginia back on the score sheet. Ndongo made a quick jumper with a minute left to get the Yellow Jackets back within six points, but McKneely hit a late three to end the game.
Georgia Tech made another 2-pointer, but it would be its last shot of the night. The Yellow Jackets forced a turnover on McKneely but couldn't capitalize, and Beekman sank two free throws to end the game. Virginia ultimately won on the road, 75-66.
The Cavaliers played a great defensive game against a top-100 Yellow Jackets offense, forcing 13 turnovers and getting three blocks, all from Dunn. Coach Tony Bennett's pack-line defense was back to form, spinning toward the ball and denying Georgia Tech easy shots.
“their [Virginia’s] The guards controlled the game and they got exactly what they wanted,” Georgia Tech coach Damon Stoudemire said after the game. “Even if it means violating the shot clock.”
McKneely's Cavaliers shot 47.8 percent from 3-point range, their best performance since a game against Syracuse in early December. Beekman had 19 points and 11 assists for his second double-double of the season, while Dunn was one point shy of his own double-double.
Virginia returns to John Paul Jones Arena on Wednesday, hoping to remain undefeated at home. They will play North Carolina State for the first time in 18 days and will look to avenge their 76-60 loss to the Wolfpack. The highly anticipated rematch will begin at 7 p.m. on the ACC Network.
