UVa scored first on a layup by Elton Brown 25 seconds into the game. At the 18:01 mark, sophomore guard Zabian Dowdell hit a 3-pointer that put the Hokies up 3-2. The Cavaliers tied the game at 6 on a Gary Forbes layup with 14:19 remaining in the first half, but could never retake the lead.

The Hokies threatened to turn the game into a blowout at several points in the first half. At the 10:36 mark in the first half, Coleman Collins threw down a monster dunk that put Tech up 18-10, but UVa rallied and cut into the lead, trailing only 22-17 at the 6:54 mark. The Hokies went on a run once again, jumping out to a 34-24 lead on a Coleman Collins layup with 3:40 remaining. But UVa showed some resiliency yet again, going on a 10-3 run to end the half. Tech led at the intermission 37-34.

Tech came out of the gate strong in the second half, opening with a 3-pointer by Dowdell. The Hokies would continue to shoot lights out early in the second half, starting the half with a 23-10 run that would eventually put Tech up 60-44 with 11:29 left in the game on a jumper by freshman guard Marquie Cooke. Carlos Dixon drained three 3-pointers during that span, and it looked like the Hokies were going to run the Wahoos out of Blacksburg with their tails tucked between their legs.

However the Cavaliers showed that they weren’t ready to fold just yet, and gradually chipped away at the Tech lead. With 6:51 remaining in the game, UVA cut the Tech lead to 7 on a 3-pointer by Adrian Joseph, making the score 66-59. With 3:25 remaining in the game and the Hokies up 70-63, Devin Smith drained a 3-pointer from the corner and was fouled by Deron Washington. Smith, who came into the game fifth in the ACC in scoring, converted the free throw and Tech found themselves up by just 3 points late in the game.

The next 3 minutes saw the Hokies trying to extend their lead, while the Cavaliers desperately tried to tie the game or take the lead. The key play came with under 10 seconds remaining. Elton Brown scored on a layup attempt with 9 seconds left on the clock to make the score 75-73 Hokies. Tech inbounded the ball to Zabian Dowdell, who heaved a Hail Mary pass to the opposite end of the court to a wide open Jamon Gordon, who effectively slammed dunked any chance of a UVa comeback. Freshman forward Deron Washington added two free throws with 1.5 seconds remaining to seal the win for Tech.

Tech won this game despite being dominated on the boards by a much bigger UVa team. The Cavs outrebounded the Hokies 38-25, including 12 offensive rebounds. UVA center Elton Brown, second in the ACC in rebounding, grabbed 15 boards to go along with his 19 points. Coleman Collins led the Hokies in rebounding with 7. The Hokies also nearly lost the game for themselves at the free throw line, shooting only 13-23 from the charity stripe (56.5%). Deron Washington was the only bright spot in this regard, shooting 8-11 from the free throw line.

Once again, Tech dominated the turnover margin statistic. Tech forced 22 UVa turnovers and committed only 11. The Hokies won the points off turnovers battle 18-2.

With the win, Tech improves to 11-6 overall and 4-2 in ACC play. UVa falls to 10-7 overall and 1-6 in the ACC. Tech travels to Durham, NC this Sunday to play the Duke Blue Devils. The game will tip off at 8pm and will be televised by Fox Sports