Seniors Depart Cassell With Heartbreaking Loss To Carolina (Video Included)

By David Cooper
March 4, 2009

Before the game, Cheick Diakite and A.D. Vassallo stood center court with framed jerseys and an action shot.

After the game, they walked out of Cassell Coliseum with a loss to a soon-to-be number one seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The visiting North Carolina Tar Heels put a damper on the night as they withstood the Hokies' attacks all the way to the end of the game and came out on top 86-78.

"It hurt me because I couldn't go out with a win and leave the fans with a good impression," Vassallo said.  "But I think I did all I could and the guys did all they could. Now it's over and we've got to go out and play and get a win on Sunday."

The game took a bad tone early as the Tar Heels needed just six seconds to score the first points of the game. 

It got worse as Diakite notched two fouls within the first five minutes, both committed guarding Tyler Hansbrough.

Despite the slow start and early foul trouble, neither the fans nor the team relented at trying to deliver blows to the tough Tar Heel team. Down eight in the first half, Malcolm Delaney spotted up for a breakaway three-pointer, knowing Danny Green was trailing behind him and couldn't stop or prevent a foul.

Although Delaney missed the shot, he swished the ensuing free throw shots, cutting Tech's deficit to five.

As the action progressed, the fans got into the game a little bit more than anyone anticipated.

The giveaways that were distributed before the game were being thrown on the court during game play. 

Tech coach Seth Greenberg went on the PA system and asked the fans to settle down.

"Let the players play, let the coaches coach, and let the referees officiate," Greenberg said.

From there, the players played and the refs officiated, though the fans felt many no-calls or make-up calls occurred.

Jeff Allen, who ended the night with 18 points, made contributions to both sides of the ball in style.

Allen was driving to the lane on Hansbrough and had a ankle-shattering move up his sleeve.  Hansbrough stumbled and watched Allen's underhand tuck of a layup go off glass.

That was one of the possessions that came shortly before Allen having two consecutive dunks to cut the score to 39-36.

Hansbrough displayed some tricks in his arsenal as well, spotting up for a three late in the half, giving his squad a 42-36 halftime lead.

"Not letting them get second chance points was what kept the game so close," Allen said. "We slowed them down during breaks, and they score a lot off second chance shots and so we took them out of what they do."

Going into the second half, it looked to be anyone's game, and it was just that.

Allen and Delaney worked well for the first three minutes of the half as they attributed to the deficit-trimming possessions.

The tie at 50 points apiece came with a Vassallo layup in the 13th minute, and it was close the rest of the way.

"Our problem all year has been getting that one stop.  There's no more time to dig down and find it, because we have to get it this next game," said Hank Thorns.

The Hokies tied the game on one other occasion in the second half at 56 points, thanks to crucial three-pointers by Vassallo.

But the Hokies could not get that "one stop," as the Tar Heels scored when they needed to, and stepped up on the defensive effort as 6'10" freshman Ed Davis blocked shots on two Hokies' possessions.

Not passing through the threshold of gaining a lead proved detrimental yet again for the Hokies as the tie slowly reverted back into a double-digit deficit.

The Hokies completely collapsed with four minutes left to play, as a five-point differential turned into an 11-point difference within two minutes.

Virginia Tech came back late to turn it back into a five-point game, but it was too late and North Carolina extended its record to 25-3 overall, and 12-3 in conference play.

"Before the game, I talked to the guys about traits you need to possess to win a game - relentless, determined, persistent, tough, smart and poised," Greenberg said. "At times, we possessed every one of those traits. We just didn't possess those traits for long enough periods of times and at key times. We just weren't able to dig down and find something in the pit of our stomach that made losing unacceptable."

Virginia Tech falls to 17-11 and 7-8 in conference play.

"I'm proud of both A.D. and Cheick.  Both have improved since I've been here, and the next game will probably be tougher because they both are trying to get into the tournament," Delaney said.

"Going into next year, we're losing a lot with A.D., because he can get you 20 to 30 points on any given night.  But next year, our recruiting class is looking nice, and I think we will have to become more defensive minded in our game," Delaney also said.

Virginia Tech's final game of the regular season is against Florida State on Sunday, March 8.

NOTES

• A.D. Vassallo moves into 8^th all time scoring with 1,723 points.
• Malcolm Delaney contributed 19 points via 4-16 shooting, but 10-10 from the charity stripe.
• Allen notched 18 points and 12 rebounds to record his eighth double-double of the season.
• Cheick Diakite is fifth among block leaders in Tech basketball history with 123.
• After the match, Greenberg and Vassallo both had words of gratitude towards the constant support of fans for the men's basketball team. 

Video by Ryan Call: