BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Sean Pedulla scored 22 points and Virginia Tech beat No. 6 Virginia 74-68 on Saturday, snapping the Cavaliers' seven-game winning streak.
Pedulla hit 6 of 13 from the floor as the Hokies (14-10, 4-8 Atlantic Coast Conference) posted their biggest win of the season. He added 8 of 9 from the free-throw line as Virginia Tech never trailed.
Justin Mutts added 17 points for the Hokies, who shot 50% from the floor for the fourth straight game.
Jayden Gardner’s 20 points led Virginia (17-4, 9-3), which saw its usually stingy defense struggle.
The Cavaliers tied the game at 38 on Gardner’s basket with 15:09 remaining, but the Hokies outscored Virginia 17-7 over the next seven minutes and never looked back.
Mutts hit 7 of 11 from the floor and added eight assists and four rebounds. Grant Basile had 14 points and Hunter Cattoor scored all 10 of his points in the second half for the Hokies.
Kihei Clark finished with 17 points for the Cavaliers, while Reece Beekman had 15. Armaan Franklin, who had scored in double figures in 10 straight games, had six.
TIP-INS
Virginia: The Cavaliers suffered a rare poor outing on the defensive end, and it cost them. They led the ACC in scoring defense (60.2 ppg) going in, but allowed the Hokies to score 74 points and shoot 50.9% (27 of 53) from the floor.
Virginia Tech: After losing eight of their previous 10 games, the Hokies needed a big win to help their thin NCAA Tournament resumé. Registering 19 assists and turning the ball over just eight times were keys.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
The Cavaliers were one-point underdogs going into the game, so they shouldn’t drop more than a few spots in the next poll.
UP NEXT
Virginia: The Cavaliers play host to NC State on Tuesday.
Virginia Tech: The Hokies play host to Boston College on Wednesday.
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