Hoos capture first win on road, prevailing at Georgia Tech, 75-66

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Posted on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024, 11:54 pm

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By Scott Ratcliffe

Photo: UVA Athletics

Virginia finally got the road monkey off its back, erasing a double-digit lead in the first half and then taking control to begin the second, en route to a 75-66 win over Georgia Tech at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta on Saturday night.

It was the team’s first true-road win of the season after getting clobbered in each of the previous four, and the backcourt duo of Reece Beekman and Isaac McKneely carried the majority of the scoring load, combining for 39 points and 8 triples on the evening.

McKneely led the Cavaliers (13-5, 4-3 ACC) with 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including sinking 6 of his 9 attempts from downtown, with 4 of them coming after halftime. He also hauled in 5 rebounds.

Beekman, meanwhile, ran the show and did it all, finishing with an impressive double-double performance — 19 points (including a pair of 3-pointers), 11 assists, 6 boards and 2 steals.

In the process, he became just the third player in Cavalier history to record 200 career thefts, joining program record-holder Othell Wilson (222 from 1981-84) and Sean Singletary (200 from 2005-08).

Beekman also passed Donald Hand (1998-2001) for sixth on the school’s career assists list with a current total of 533, and is now 37 away from jumping past London Perrantes (569) into the top five.

Meanwhile, Jordan Minor made his third-consecutive start and had another solid outing, adding 11 points (4 for 5 FG) across 24 minutes, while sophomore Ryan Dunn just missed out on notching a double-double of his own with 9 points and a game-high 10 rebounds to go along with 3 blocks, also a game-high.

“We’ve got to keep figuring out what’s the easiest and best way for us to be effective, and chase it…,” said UVA coach Tony Bennett. “You can get weary when you’re getting kicked around on the road, or you’re not playing quality basketball in practice, but as a staff and as the young men, we’ve tried to work, keep joy in the practices and handle the losses with perspective, handle the wins with perspective.”

Early on, it looked as though UVA’s road woes would continue, as the Yellow Jackets (9-9, 2-5) used an 8-0 run midway through the first half to take a 22-11 lead.

The Wahoos got it together this time around, however, chipping away before back-to-back McKneely 3s — the latter of which came off of a baseline inbounds pass with 1:31 until the break — knotted the score at 29-apiece.

The next trip down, Dunn gave Virginia its first lead of the night, and then just before the horn Taine Murray’s inbounds steal and coast-to-coast layup beat the buzzer to give the Cavaliers a 33-29 halftime advantage, as they closed the period on a 12-0 spurt over the final 3:45.

The success spilled into the second half, as UVA scored the first 5 — and 11 of the first 14 — points out of the locker room, capped off by another McKneely deep ball followed by a Beekman and-1, and GT first-year coach Damon Stoudamire burnt a timeout to stop the bleeding, with his team down a dozen, 44-32, with 16:42 to play.

Another 13-5 stretch later in the half extended the lead to 63-48, highlighted by yet another iMac trifecta, this one from the halfcourt logo.

Just as it appeared to be out of reach for the Jackets, they scored 9 unanswered points to get back within two possessions, 67-62, with 1:39 on the clock. Tech had previously wiped out a 9-point deficit in under two minutes (1:33 to be exact) of regulation to eventually knock off Clemson on the road in double OT on Tuesday.

The Hoos, in the midst of a scoring drought that lasted nearly five minutes, got the first of two huge crunchtime buckets on the ensuing possession, as Beekman drove the lane and kicked it out to a wide-open Jake Groves, who calmly buried what was arguably his biggest shot in a Wahoo uniform thus far — a momentum-killing 3-pointer with 1:22 showing. It was Beekman’s 10th assist of the game, but he wasn’t quite finished.

After Tech freshman big man Baye Ndongo scored on the other end to cut it to six, Beekman again drew defenders on a streak to the hole before finding McKneely for one last long-distance dagger with just 39 ticks to go, and the UVA bench exploded with excitement.

Minor corralled a crucial defensive rebound in the closing seconds, and Beekman swished a pair of free throws to secure the much-needed and long-awaited road victory.

“To be able to finish a game, play well in the second half, and withstand and show some consistency — making some shots, getting some stops and handling some real game pressure — was important, but it’s just another step,” said Bennett of his team’s fortitude down the stretch.

Virginia shot 50 percent (29 for 58) for the contest and 48 percent from 3-point range (11 of 23), but struggled from the foul line, connecting on just 6 of 11 (55 percent). The Hoos drew even on the boards, 29-29, posting 11 second-chance points compared to 6 for Georgia Tech, and dominated in the interior, outscoring the Jackets by a 34-18 margin in the paint.

Defensively, UVA forced 13 Tech turnovers and converted them into 21 points on the other end of the court, while committing only 9 and surrendering 9 points as a result.

The Jackets didn’t necessarily shoot poorly themselves, connecting on 45 percent of their shots on the night (23 for 51), and 33 percent from 3 (9 for 27), but it ultimately wasn’t enough.

Ndongo and fellow freshman Naithan George each scored 15 points to lead the home team, which dropped its fifth-straight on their home floor to the Cavaliers, and 11th-straight overall.

GT’s leading scorer, Miles Kelly, was averaging 15.5 points per game coming in, but was held to 8 Saturday on 3-of-11 shooting (2 for 7 from deep). Kyle Sturdivant also finished with 8 points in the losing effort.

Team Notes

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

  • Virginia (13-5, 4-3 ACC) gained its first road win, improving to 3-5 away from home (1-4 in true road games)
  • The last time UVA started 0-4 on the road in the ACC was during the 2007-08 season
  • UVA’s 17-0 run spanned halftime and gave the Hoos a 38-29 lead
  • UVA’s 12-0 run gave the Hoos a 33-29 halftime lead
  • UVA went 5 of 5 from the field to close the first half, highlighted by pair of 3-pointers from Isaac McKneely and a layup before the buzzer from Taine Murray
  • UVA led at the half for the first time on the road, shooting 50 percent (13 of 26) including 5 of 9 from distance
  • UVA shot 50 percent (29 of 58) and 47.8 percent from 3-point range (11 of 23)
  • UVA Virginia is 165-11 all-time when scoring 70 or more points under Tony Bennett (8-0 in 2023-24)

Series Notes

  • Virginia is 48-40 all-time vs. Georgia Tech, including a 17-24 mark in Atlanta, in the series that dates to 1947-48
  • The Cavaliers have an 11-game winning streak in the series, including a five-game winning streak at McCamish Pavilion
  • Virginia is 19-2 in its last 21 games against Georgia Tech, including an 18-2 mark under head coach Tony Bennett

Player Notes

  • Double Figure Scorers: Isaac McKneely (20). Reece Beekman (19), Jordan Minor (11)
  • McKneely recorded his third career 20-point game, reaching double figures for the 15th time
  • McKneely matched a career best with six 3-pointers
  • McKneely has had made 4-plus 3-pointers in five games
  • Beekman has a nine-game double figure streak
  • Beekman added a career-high tying 11 assists for his fourth career double-double
  • Beekman reached double figures for the 45th time
  • Beekman added two steals to become the third Cavalier with 200 career steals
  • Minor made his third-straight start, reaching double figures for the second straight game (72nd career)
  • Dunn added 9 points and game highs in rebounds (10) and blocked shots (3)

UP NEXT

The Hoos will look for revenge against NC State on Wednesday night (7 p.m., ACC Network) at John Paul Jones Arena. UVA will carry the nation’s longest home winning streak (20 games) into the rematch, after the Wolfpack claimed Round One, 76-60, in Raleigh earlier this month.