Jordan Minor and Reece Beekman scored 16 points each, leading Virginia to a 65-57 win over Virginia Tech before a sellout crowd Wednesday in Charlottesville, Va.
Isaac McKneely and Blake Buchanan added eight points apiece as Virginia (12-5, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) extended its home winning streak to 20 games, the second longest active run in Division I.
Minor, a graduate transfer from Merrimack, posted a season high in points and added five rebounds, providing the Cavaliers a big lift inside as they outscored the Hokies 36-20 on points in the paint.
Virginia also was sparked by Dante Harris, who was playing for the first time after missing eight weeks with an ankle injury. Harris recorded five points and five assists.
The Cavaliers thrived behind their signature defense, forcing the Hokies to commit 15 turnovers and limiting them to 38.9 percent shooting from the floor. Beekman had four steals to pace the Cavaliers’ defense.
Sean Pedulla had 18 points, six rebounds and five assists to lead Virginia Tech (10-7, 2-4), which lost for the fourth time in its past five games and remained winless in true road games.
The Hokies’ defensive standout, Hunter Cattoor, returned after missing a game with a head injury, And he scored 12 points. Robbie Beran added 10 points for the Hokies.
Virginia led by as many as 13 points in the second half and held off Virginia Tech, which pulled to within five points on four occasions but got no closer.
Midway through the first half, Jacob Groves made 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to give Virginia the lead for good.
The Cavaliers stretched the advantage to 10 points late in the half as McKneely drained a trey. Cattoor gave the Hokies a lift with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that sliced the deficit to 25-18 at the break.
Cattoor’s shot ended a dry spell in which Virginia Tech had missed 14 of 16 shots over a stretch of more than 15 minutes.
Early in the second half, Virginia went on a nine-point run. Beekman started the spree with a jumper from the lane and finished it with a steal and fastbreak alley-oop feed to Ryan Dunn for a two-fisted slam that put the Cavaliers up 34-21.
Virginia got three buckets from Buchanan in the final four minutes. Minor also rose in the second half, delivering eight points in the final 11 minutes.
–Field Level Media
