The Virginia Tech Hokies entered Saturday's contest in Pittsburgh with a great chance. After a big win against Virginia this week, a win against Pitt would move the Hokies to 8-8 in ACC play.
The first 20 minutes looked good for the Hokies, as Tech shot 50% from the field in the first half and entered the break tied with the Panthers for 36 points.
There the fun ended. After going on an 18-0 run early in the second half, Pittsburgh put on a dominant performance in the final 20 minutes to defeat Virginia Tech with relative ease, 79-64.
The Hokies rallied in the second half, giving the Panthers a two-point lead with a dunk by senior forward Maylijael Poteet at 16:58.
Tech didn't score until Poteet scored on a layup at 11:20. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh scored 18 points and the game was almost over. The Hokies were outscored 43-28 in the final 20 minutes, shooting just 31 percent from the field in the second half.
As always for the Hokies, if they struggle to shoot from beyond the arc, they won't win. On Saturday, VT made just 3 of 20 3-point shots. What's even more concerning is that the Hokies outrebounded him 42-28.
Pitt, on the other hand, could do no wrong in the second half. The Panthers shot 53 percent from the field and when they missed, the ball bounced. Pittsburgh shot 51% for the game, making 9 of 21 3-pointers.
Foul trouble also plagued the Hokies. Senior guard Hunter Kattore had a rare foul out and scored just seven points. For the Tech team, Robbie Beran and Sean Pedula also battled foul trouble.
Pedula led the Hokies with 26 points, with Poteet (10 points) the only other player to score in double figures. Pedula also led the Hokies with eight rebounds and seven assists.
This was a must-win game for Virginia Tech, whose hopes in the NCAA Tournament were already slim. After Monday's win against UVA, the Hokies needed to win their final five games of the regular season to even return to the bubble. That's not happening. At 15-12 (7-9), the Hokies can still finish on a high note, but they will need to win multiple games in the ACC Tournament to be considered.
Next up for Virginia Tech is a trip to Central New York to take on Syracuse on Tuesday.
