Keve Aluma led the upset with a career-high 29 points on 10-for-15 shooting with 10 rebounds and four assists, and Hunter Cattoor added 15 points to move the Hokies (13-3, 7-2) within a half-game of Virginia (11-3, 7-1) for first place in the conference.
Virginia Tech posted its fourth win against a ranked opponent by shooting 50 percent, including making 9 of 18 tries from three-point range and getting to the free throw line 10 more times than Virginia. The Cavaliers had their 15-game ACC winning streak snapped amid defensive breakdowns in the second half, when Virginia Tech outscored Virginia 44-22 to erase an eight-point halftime deficit.
Virginia put four players in double figures, led by Jay Huff’s 13, but shot just 36.5 percent in the fifth meeting between the schools when both were ranked. Virginia’s previous ACC loss came Feb. 8, 2020, at Louisville.
The 19-0 run late in the second half gave Virginia Tech a 63-47 lead with 2:50 to play. The surge included Wabissa Bede making a pair of free throws to put the Hokies in front 49-47 with 7:22 left after drawing a fourth personal foul against Huff.
It was Virginia Tech’s first lead since the first half, and the Hokies continued to apply pressure defensively, holding Virginia without a point for more than seven minutes. The Hokies had managed to tie the score at 47 with consecutive three-pointers from Naheim Alleyne, Bede and Cattoor.
Virginia Tech was coming off its most complete defensive performance of the season in a 62-51 win at Notre Dame on Wednesday. That was the fewest points the Hokies had surrendered this season, and they did so despite being without starting guard Tyrece Radford for the first time. The Hokies’ second-leading scorer (11.1) and rebounder (6.3) was suspended indefinitely following an arrest Sunday on misdemeanor charges of driving while intoxicated and carrying a concealed weapon.
The third-year sophomore and two-year starter is scheduled for arraignment Feb. 9 in Montgomery (Va.) General District Court. He faces up to 12 months in jail and a fine of $2,500 for each of the Class 1 misdemeanor counts.
Aluma contributed significantly in Radford’s place against the Fighting Irish and carried that stellar play into the first half Saturday, scoring from behind the arc as well as on dunks in a one-on-one matchup with Huff, who struggled to stay in front of the Wofford transfer.
Late in the first half, Virginia Coach Tony Bennett took Huff out of the game and picked 6-foot-9 guard Trey Murphy III, a quicker defender, to handle Aluma. The move kept Aluma in check, and the Cavaliers did not allow a point for more than six minutes on the way to taking a 29-21 lead at halftime.