January 26, 2006

Virginia Tech-Duke box score

Duke 80, Virginia Tech 67

 

BLACKSBURG - Virginia Tech couldn't get a handle on Duke's inside-outside duo of Shelden Williams and J.J. Redick and it cost them as the Hokies fell to the No. 2-ranked team in the nation 80-67 in an ACC game played Thursday night at Cassell Coliseum.

The loss marked the Hokies' fifth straight and their sixth in the past seven games. Tech fell to 10-9 overall on the season, 0-6 in the ACC. The Blue Devils, coming off their first loss of the season - an 87-84 loss to Georgetown - improved to 18-1, 6-0 in the conference.

Williams, who scored just four points in Duke's loss to the Hoyas, came out of the gates quickly, scoring 14 points in the first half and hitting 5-of-7 from the floor. Tech trailed by three in the early going, 16-13, but the Blue Devils scored on six straight possessions after that, with Williams scoring seven points in that stretch. That helped Duke open a nine-point lead in the first half, and the Blue Devils ended up leading by 13 at the break.

In the second half, Duke led by as many as 22 points. The Hokies cut the lead to 12 on two occasions in the final three minutes, but got no closer.

"They did a great job of establishing Williams early, which we expected them to do after what happened at Georgetown," Tech coach Seth Greenberg said. "We didn't defend well in the first half at all and we took some ill-advised shots.

"We've just got to keep on working. We've got a lot of stuff going on and we've just got to deal with it. There's only one way to resolve what we're dealing with and that's not to shy away from it, but just to keep on working."

Williams finished with 24 points and 15 rebounds, and Redick, the Blue Devils' guard who was playing just 45 minutes away from his hometown of Roanoke, also finished with 24 points. Redick hit 7-of-17 from the floor, including a couple of 3-pointers. Thanks to those two, the Blue Devils shot nearly 50 percent from the floor.

Tech got 21 points from Zabian Dowdell, who hit 10-of-18 from the floor. Coleman Collins added a double-double, with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Deron Washington finished with 12.

Washington was ejected with 1:30 left in the game after becoming tangled with Duke's Lee Melchionni. Washington had driven down the lane and Melchionni tried to draw the charge. As Washington got up, he kicked Melchionni in the face. Officials looked at the replay, trying to determine if a fight had occurred, and decided to eject Washington from the game.

After the game, Washington and Greenberg went to Duke's locker room, and Washington apologized to both Melchionni and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski.

"I was just frustrated, and I did something real stupid," Washington said. "It was a tough, hard-fought game. He [Melchionni] didn't do anything to me. I was frustrated and I got up too fast and I hit him. It wasn't anything intentional."

"Things happen during a game," Krzyzewski said. "He [Washington] took responsibility for it. Let's move on to the next game. I hope he's not punished. He did the right thing.

"They are a team that's had their share of tough issues and I think some nerves are at skin level - in addition to being 0-5. They're a good team and they've lost some tough games. They've had a lot of family issues to deal with.

"They [Melchionni and Washington] shook hands, so let's forget about it. That kid [Washington] is a helluva player. I'd love to have him on my team. He plays his butt off and sacrifices his body. It's unfortunate. They're trying everything they can to win a game. That's why we knew tonight was going to be a helluva game. Hopefully they can get through some of the other issues that are going on with their families and get back to having fun playing basketball again."

Tech now gets ready to play Wake Forest, but will do so without the services of Collins. The 6-foot-8 junior planned on driving to Atlanta after the Duke game to be with his father, who is gravely ill.

"He'll come back when he's ready to come back," Greenberg said. "I'm not going to give him a time frame. It's not my place. He's got to be at peace, and that's more important than anything that's going on here in Blacksburg.

The Tech-Wake Forest game will be played this Saturday in Winston-Salem, N.C. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m.