The two teams battled evenly for almost the entire first half and found themselves in a 21-21 deadlock. The Hokies then went on a 19-5 tear that spanned half time, and Tech took a comfortable 40-26 lead and appeared to be cruising to victory.

Xavier began methodically closing the gap, and after the Hokies hit a bucket to take a 50-43 lead, that's when the wheels fell off. The Hokies went on a long cold streak, and Xavier suddenly couldn't miss, and by the time the carnage was over, XU had put up a 26-11 run and had a 69-61 lead with just over a minute to play.

The Hokies made a valiant comeback, sandwiching two three-pointers around two missed Xavier free throws, and after a held ball, the Hokies found themselves in possession of the ball with 13 seconds to go, facing a 69-67 deficit.

Tragically, they turned the ball over, and Xavier made an easy layup for the final margin.

In the end, it was 63% shooting by Xavier in the second half that doomed the Hokies. Tech simply ran out of luck, and ran into a team that heated up and was not to be beaten.

The Musketeers are now 16-3 and 7-2 in the conference, just one game behind Tech's 18-1, 8-1 mark in the A-10 West. Next Friday's game with Xavier now looms huge, and will more than likely decide the A-10 West championship.