February 13, 2002

Tech's 14-month long road losing streak finally came to an end as the Hokies knocked off BIG EAST rival West Virginia 78-63 in front of 3,942 fans at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, W.Va., on Wednesday night.

The win snapped Tech's 19-game road losing streak and marked the Hokies' first BIG EAST road win. The Hokies' last victory on the road came on Dec. 20th, 2000, at Mount St. Mary's. Tech improved to 8-16 overall, 2-10 in the BIG EAST. West Virginia, which lost its fourth straight game, fell to 8-15, 1-10 in the league.

"I'm happy for our team," Tech head coach Ricky Stokes said. "This gives us new life and proves to us we can win a game on the road.

"We talk a lot about character, and if you work hard, then good things will happen. But you've got to have a win to reinforce that. I think the BC win [last week] helped us in that regards. Now hopefully we can take this and build on it."

West Virginia played without starting guard Lionel Armstead, and center Chris Moss was playing with a severely bruised abdomen. But the Hokies weren't giving this one back.

Tech won in a place that has been quite hostile to it over the years. The Hokies' last victory in Morgantown came in 1994 - the year the Hokies won the NIT. Overall, Tech had lost to West Virginia five consecutive times.

"This feels real good," said point guard Brian Chase, who scored 13 points on the evening. "It feels good not only to win on the road, but also to get that second BIG EAST win.

"We knew this was a hostile place to play and we didn't underestimate West Virginia. Both teams needed a win. But I thought we took it to them a little bit and took the life out of them in the second half."

Tech led 44-31 at halftime thanks largely to a 14-6 run to end the half. Then, to start the second half, Tech hit eight of its first 11 field-goal attempts, including 4-of-6 from beyond the 3-point arc - Tech finished with 11 3-pointers on the evening. The Hokies' lead swelled to 23 points by the end of that span and they never looked back.

Bryant Matthews, Tech's 6-foot-7 sophomore forward, paced Tech with a career-high 23 points. Matthews, who entered the game shooting less than 30 percent from the floor in BIG EAST play, hit 9 of his 18 field-goal attempts and went 3-of-8 from beyond the 3-point arc. He also grabbed 11 rebounds and notched a career-high seven steals. The field-goals made and the steals mark a season-high for any Hokie.

"I have to credit my teammates," Matthews said. "I got some great passes and was able to knock down some shots. I know I've been struggling some. In the past, if I missed a couple of shots, I felt like I was shooting too much. Tonight, I just kept shooting and felt comfortable."

Tech, as a team, shot 49.2 percent from the floor, including a 54.2-percent mark in the second half. The Hokies also outrebounded the Mountaineers 38-35 and held WVU to just 37.5 percent shooting from the floor.

Moss led West Virginia with 21 points, while Drew Schifino added 11.

Tech continues its road trip this weekend when the Hokies travel to New York City to play St. John's. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday.