November 24, 2000

The last time Tech and UVa played in Blacksburg, the game came down to a last-second shot which enabled the Hokies to pull out a win.

Unfortunately, history didn't repeat itself.

Playing in Blacksburg against the hated Cavaliers for the first time since 1974-75 season, Tech was unable to overcome a bevy of turnovers and horrendous free-throw shooting and ultimately lost to Cavaliers 64-48 in front of a soldout crowd of 10,052 fans at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg.

The rivalry returned to a campus site for the first time since the 1975-76 season when the Hokies lost to UVa at University Hall in Charlottesville. But despite the excitement of playing in front of a packed house, Tech couldn't overcome a much more talented and experience Wahoo squad, losing to the Cavaliers for the fifth straight time and for the 11th time in the past 13 meetings between the two schools.

"I'm happy to have all those fans in Cassell," Tech head coach Ricky Stokes said. "I thought it was a great atmosphere. I just wish we had played better."

Tech (1-2) kept it close in the early going, taking a 6-5 lead on a Mibindo Dongo dunk. But the Cavaliers (3-0) went on an 8-0 run to take a lead they never would relinquish. The Wahoos bolted out to a 38-23 halftime lead as the Hokies committed 12 first-half turnovers, which led to 18 UVa points.

In the second half, Tech cut the lead to 42-30 on a basket by Dennis Mims. The Hokies then had a chance to cut into the lead even more, but Carlos Dixon missed two free throws with 14:55 left and UVa's Keith Friel connected on a 3-pointer on the Cavaliers' next possession. The five-point swing diminished any Tech hope of a comeback.

"That was a key play in the game," Stokes said. "There's no question about it."

Dixon's missed free throws were just two of the 12 Tech missed as a team. The Hokies shot an abysmal 6-of-18 from the free-throw line for the game.

"That's one of the things that continues to haunt us," guard Brian Chase said. "We've got to start concentrating more on our free throws."

Dixon led Tech 13 points, while Dongo finished with 11. Friel scored a career-high 15 points - all on 3-pointers - to lead the Cavaliers.