Virginia Tech-UVa box score

Virginia Tech 70, Virginia 69 (OT)

 

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Deron Washington's drive and lay-up at the buzzer enabled the Virginia Tech Hokies to capture a thrilling 70-69 overtime victory over in-state rival Virginia in an ACC game played Wednesday night in Charlottesville.

With the win - the Hokies' second straight one-point victory - Tech snapped a nine-game losing streak in Charlottesville. The Hokies hadn't won in UVa's house since 1968 - 40 years ago when Stan Kerrick's three free throws in the final 20 seconds lifted the Hokies to an 84-82 victory. The current Hokies improved to 11-6 overall on the season, 2-1 in the ACC.

UVa, now 10-5 overall, 0-2 in the league, held a 69-68 lead and actually had the ball, but Cavaliers guard Calvin Baker missed a jumper with 48 seconds left and Tech got the rebound. Washington, not the greatest of 3-point shooters, took a 3 with 14 seconds left, but missed. A battle for the rebound resulted in the ball eventually rolling out of bounds off the hands of UVa's Adrian Joseph.

Tech then ran an inbounds play and freshman guard Hank Thorns nearly had the ball stripped. But it went out of bounds off a UVa player with four seconds remaining.

With no timeouts, Tech head coach Seth Greenberg called out a play called 'Stack.' Washington then looked at his coach.

"I looked over and said, 'I got it,'" Washington said. "We were a little confused at first. I just told everyone to screen down and let me get up. I wanted to get the ball and penetrate and maybe get to the rim. I thought if I missed, then maybe Jeff or someone would get a tip. But it rolled in for me."

The shot set off a wild celebration among Tech players, who rallied from a nine-point deficit with under 10 minutes left in the game.

"I'll say the same thing I've been saying," said Greenberg, whose team won by a point against Maryland in its previous game. "It's one stop, one rebound, one roll of the ball. That's the difference between having a good ride home and questioning everything you're doing."

Both teams missed on chances to win the game in regulation. Tech managed to tie the game on two Jeff Allen free throws with 1:34 to go in regulation. Baker missed a jumper for UVa with 30 seconds left and Tech's Malcolm Delaney missed a hotly contested shot with three ticks to go.

A.D. Vassallo paced the Hokies with 22 points, hitting five 3-pointers. Washington and Allen finished with 11 points each. Tech offset a poor shooting night (35.7 percent) by out-rebounding the Cavaliers 47-39.

The Hokies also survived a huge night from UVa's Sean Singletary, who scored a game-high 34 points. He hit 12-of-21, including 5-of-7 from beyond the arc, and he tied a career-high with 10 rebounds. The game marked his third career double-double.

Tech, which has won five of its past six games, now gears up for a road trip to Atlanta on Saturday to take on Georgia Tech in another ACC tilt. Tip-off for that game is slated for 1 p.m.