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Virginia escapes Blacksburg with 10th straight win

Feb 19, 2014 - 5:38 AM Blacksburg, VA (SportsNetwork.com) - Malcolm Brogdon led Virginia with 12 points as the 14th-ranked Cavaliers used a strong second half to rally past bitter rival Virginia Tech, 57-53, at Cassell Coliseum.

London Perrantes scored 11 and Akil Mitchell added seven points and 10 rebounds for the Cavaliers (22-5, 13-1 ACC), who outscored the Hokies 36-25 in the second half to win their 10th straight game.

"They mixed it up a little, they went some triangle and two but predominantly 2-3, but that's the first time we have played against a team that has played all zone against us all year and you need to make some 3's," Virginia coach Tony Bennett said.

Virginia was 9-for-25 from 3-point range.

Devin Wilson finished with 13 points and five assists and Joey van Zegeren had 13 points and seven rebounds for the Hokies (9-16, 2-11), losers in 11 of their last 12.

"We played well enough to win that game," Tech coach James Johnson said. "But we didn't make the plays down the stretch that you need to make against a good team like that, and they made the plays. Against a good team, you've got to play 40 minutes, or however long it takes."

C.J. Barksdale's jumper with 15:22 remaining gave the Hokies a 40-29 lead, but a 13-3 Virginia run pulled the Cavaliers within a point, 43-42. Ben Emelogu split a pair of free throws at the 6:30 mark and it would be the Hokies' last point for nearly six minutes.

Over that span Virginia scored 10 unanswered to take a 52-46 lead with 38 seconds showing.

Wilson ended the drought with his layup six seconds later, but Virginia managed to take a 56-50 lead on a bizarre play.

With 18 second left, Brogdon was trapped in the corner and fouled by Jarell Eddie. Nearly simultaneously, Eddie was elbowed in the jaw by Brogdon.

After a video review, Brogdon was awarded a pair of free throws, which he sank for the six-point lead, before Eddie split a pair of free throws stemming from the flagrant foul.

Tech then took over and van Zegeren tipped one in with six seconds left to pull the Hokies within one possession. Brogdon then split a pair of free throws on the other end and the Hokies came up empty before the buzzer.

Virginia led 10-6 early in the first half, but a 16-4 run from the Hokies made it 22-14 with 7 1/2 minutes to go.

The Cavaliers pulled within four, 22-18, but fell behind 28-18 after a Barksdale 3-pointer and three free throws from Eddie after he was fouled attempting a trey. Brogdon made it 28-21 with his buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the first half.

Game Notes

Virginia will open a three-game homestand with Notre Dame on Saturday. The Cavaliers will host top-ranked Syracuse on March 1 ... Virginia shot just 39.2 percent from the field ... The Cavaliers scored 18 points off 14 Tech turnovers ... The Hokies shot just 40 percent (10-for-25) in the second half ... Virginia Tech will host N.C. State on Saturday before visiting No. 5 Duke on Tuesday.