Hokies Sweep Hoos, Stay Undefeated at Home (Video Included)

by Brian Bartley

February 14, 2010

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Virginia forward, Mike Scott, threw down a wide open dunk with 2:06 to play that gave the Cavaliers a seemingly critical three point lead.  Then the Hokies' Jeff Allen responded with six consecutive points over the next 37 seconds that all but sealed the deal in the Hokies 61-55 win over the Wahoos Saturday night at Cassell Coliseum.

"We pulled that one out," Allen said of the win.  "I have to score, get rebounds and play defense-- I guess you could say I'm a big part of this team."

"He's a big reason for where our team is," Greenberg confirmed later.

Allen was indeed a big part in the Hokies success against UVa.  Aside from his 13 points, Allen recorded four blocks and two steals.  In addition, one of his steals came in the Cavaliers' possession directly following his three-pointer that gave the Hokies a three-point lead with 1:14 left in the game.

J.T. Thompson was eventually fouled following the steal and made both of his free throws to give the Hokies a two-possesion lead with 46 seconds to play.  Terrell Bell and Malcolm Delaney combined to go  5-of-6 free throws down the stretch to ice the game.  

"As long as we play good on defense, we can win games," Delaney said of a Tech squad that remains inconsistent at times on offense.  "We played better when we needed to, we hit shots when we needed to and thats how we got some buckets."

The Hokies elevated their 32 percent first half field goal percentage to 42 percent in the second half.  On the other side, the Wahoos could only raise their 30 percent field goal shooting at the half by five percent the rest of the way through.

"We rely on our defense," Bell emphasized.  "We have great defenders on this team...we bought into it over the summer and since then we've bonded and it's going good."

UVa only had two players shoot better than 40 percent, Scott and Jeff Jones.  Scott wreaked havoc inside with 20 points and 13 rebounds, while Jones played just 12 minutes and went 1-for-2.  

Sylven Landesberg went 7-for-19 with 17 points and six rebounds.  

Aside from Scott and Landesberg, the rest of UVa's team combined to score only 17 points.

The Hokies were led in scoring by Dorenzo Hudson with 15 points.  Allen and Delaney added 13 points each.

Delaney's 13 points was a step down from his ACC-leading 19.3 average.  One reason for that might have been the excessive contact he felt Cavalier defenders were allowed to get away with in the game.  

Recently, some underlying sentiment has circulated around the ACC questioning Delaney's ability to draw fouls and get to the free throw line.  On Saturday, Delaney didn't get to the line until there was just 3:00 left in the game.

"I guess I was flopping today," said a noticably frustrated Delaney.  "I can't criticize anybody, but I couldn't play my game."

Despite whether the perceived looser enforcement will continue in future games, Delaney doesn't expect to become any less of a factor for the Hokies.

"It'll just make me do other things better. I just gotta look past it," Delaney said.

With the win, the Hokies move to 20-4 on the season and 7-3 in the ACC.  UVa slides to 14-8 overall and 5-4 in the conference.

The Hokies also remain undefeated at Cassell Coliseum this season, moving to 13-0 at home.

"It gives us a goal," Bell said of the team's outlook of being undefeated at home.  "[We want] to come out and defend the Cassell."

Bell and the Hokies will get that challenge on Tuesday night when Wake Forrest visits Blacksburg for a game that will determine who hold outright second place in the ACC.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2.

Video by Neal Turnage: