Another game decided in the final seconds and another disappointing loss for the Hokies. While it’s quick and easy to blame the Jontel Evans 3-pointer in the second half that was clearly a shot clock violation, or the missed free throws in the final minute, the real reason the Hokies lost 61-59 to the hoos is because they went more than 12 minutes without a field goal in the second half.

This was a hard-fought game that featured stingy defense, big three pointers, and some questionable calls that affected both teams. Between a blown timeout call that went against uva, the 3-pointer that didn’t beat the shot clock but counted anyways, and the multiple clock issue at the Cassell, this game was about as ugly as they come. Not as ugly as the Hokies going a dozen minutes without a bucket, but pretty close just the same.

Erick Green single-handedly kept the Hokies in the game in the second half. After scoring just 2 points in the first half, Green scored 17 of the Hokies’ 24 points in the second half, extending his double-digit scoring streak to 28 straight games.

uva’s Mike Scott got his 20 points due largely to the fact that the Hokies were without Victor Davila, who missed his third straight game with a groin injury. Davila held Scott to just 10 points in the first meeting earlier this season in Charlottesville, where the Hokies stunned the hoos 47-45.

Tech played a solid first half and got scoring from unexpected sources. True freshmen Dorian Finney-Smith and Marqis Rankin each score 8 points to lead the Hokies to a 35-32 halftime lead. Neither would score another point for the rest of the game. Doe Doe kept jacking up three-pointers in the second half and turned the ball over in the final seconds before the Hokies could even get a shot off. Why the ball is even in his hands at that point in the game is beyond me.

Tech shot a respectable 50 percent from behind the arc, hitting 8 of 16 shots, but they began the game 6/8 and finished 2/8. The Hokies also shot 45 percent from the field, but uva shot nearly 60 percent.

Coming out of the halftime break, the hoos quickly tied the game on a Sammy Zeglinski three-pointer, but the Hokies answered to make it 37-35 on a Cadarian Raines bucket. The hoos answered again to tie the game at 37 before Tech went on a 10-2 run to open up an 8-point lead, 47-39.

Green’s layup with about 13 minutes to play was the last bucket the Hokies would score until the final minute of the game. That gave Tech a 49-42 lead, which quickly gave way to a 14-0 run by uva.

The Hokies kept it close thanks to missed shots and free throws by uva and the fact that for the first time all season, a wahoo fouled out of a game. And not just one, but TWO players fouled out; Evans and Zeglinski.

The Hokies sent uva’s Akil Mitchell to the free throw line twice in the final minutes and he came through missing both front ends of the 1-and-1. That kept Tech in the game, but Green missed two free throws and Dorenzo Hudson missed one as well.

The opportunities to win were plentiful, but the Hokies just couldn’t take advantage.

Now for the commentary section of this recap… This was another demoralizing loss, but honestly, I was encouraged for the most part. This team is riddled with injuries (Eddie and Raines are playing hurt) and loaded with true freshmen, yet they are competing night in and night out. Their last four games have been decided by a total of 5 points. They’ve won two and lost two.

This season, at this point, is all about next season. Robert Brown, Marquis Rankin, Dorian Finney-Smith and C.J. Barksdale are all getting serious quality minutes and they’re getting better every game. This team has the potential to be very dangerous next year.

I know we’ve been saying that for years, and call me an optimist, but I think barring injuries, this team could be pretty good for the next several years. Time will tell.

The Hokies go back on the road to face duke on Saturday, Feb. 25, at noon.

Play-by-Play (full disclosure, I’ve already had a drink)

– uva wins the tip
0-2 Scott open the scoring for uva
3-2 DFS hits the uncontested 3 pointer
– VT steal – uva’s Scott turns it over
– Hudson misses, uva rebound
– Harris misses, VT rebound
– Hudson misses, out of bounds off uva
– VT turnover on the inbounds pass, uva gets away with a walk, but Eddie blocks Mike Scott’s shot at the other end
– Green turns it over
– Evans fouled
3-4 Scott works DFS down low
– Mitchell fouls DFS
– Green misses a 3 pointer
– Scott misses, VT rebound
– DFS misses the long jumper after a nice shot fake
– Green called for the foul

U16 Media Timeout Score – 4-3 uva

– uva turns it over on the inbounds pass
6-4 Eddie knocks down a three in the corner
6-6 Mitchell scores over Raines
– VT turnover
6-8 Scott with an offensive rebound and a put-back dunk
– Hudson fouled by Zeglinski taking a three pointer
9-8 Hudson makes all 3 FTs
– VT steal by Brown
11-8 Barksdale with the falling away baseline jumper
11-10 Scott turnaround jumper over Barksdale
13-10 Brown with a tough spin move in the lane for the bucket
13-12 Brogdon goes baseline for the reverse layup
– VT turnover, uva got away with a foul
13-15 uva 3 pointer, wide open after double team on Scott
15-15 Green hits a running shot in the lane over Ziggy
– uva miss, VT rebound
– Brown misses a deep three, uva rebound
– uva turnover

U12 Media Timeout Score – 15-15 uva

– Rankin in the game for the Hokies
18-15 Rankin hits a 3-pointer from the left wing
18-17 Harris with the roll
21-17 DFS gets the three to drop after several high bounces off the rim, his second 3 of the game
21-19

U8 Media Timeout Score – 21-19 VT (7:52)

24-19 Hudson buries the three
– VT steals it from Scott
– VT turns it over
24-21 Scott scores off the fast break from the turnover
27-21 Rankin his his second 3-pointer of the game
– uva miss, VT rebound
– VT shooting 6/8 from three tonight so far
– Hudson misses a three – it was close
– uva called for a travel after getting double teams
– VT’s defense is playing out of its mind
– Ziggy called for the reach-in foul
– Hokies making the most of a mismatch with Hudson
– uva didn’t get a timeout as its player was falling out of bounds
29-21 Brown with the nice feed in the lane to Raines who slams it home
– Eddie called for the foul on Evans

U4 Media Timeout Score – 29-21 VT

29-22 Evans makes 1/2 FTs
31-22 Raines just abused Scott in the low post!!
– Green fouls Evans in the lane
31-23 Evans makes 1/2 FTs
– uva gets the rebound off the missed FT
– uva misses, VT rebounds
– VT misses, uva rebounds
– Evans called for the offensive foul, but it’s overturned, makeup call
31-25 Evans makes 2 FTs
– uva picks up only its 4th team foul
– Evans fouls Rankin going to the rim
33-25 Rankin make 2 FTs
33-27 Scott hits a jumper
33-30 Scott hits a 3 pointer (has 15 points)
– DFS fouled going to the rim
35-30 DFS hits 2 FTs
35-32 Evans hits a jumper at the buzzer to close out the half

Halftime Score – 35-32 Hokies

Rankin – 8, Dorian Finney-Smith – 8, Hudson – 6, Raines – 4, Eddie – 3, Green – 2, Brown – 2, Barksdale – 2

35-35 uva Ziggy 3 pointer
37-35 VT scores, Raines
37-37 uva answers, Mitchell
39-37 Erick Green layup
– Green misses a free throw that would have
41-37 Hudson with the left-handed scoop shot in the lane
– uva turns it over, bad pass out of bounds
44-37 Green hits a left wing 3 pointer, 7 points for Green
44-39 Scott answers with a bucket
– Barksdale misses the hook shot
– Scott misses,Hudson rebounds
47-39 Green hits another 3 pointer, 10 points, 29 straight games with double figures scoring
– 10-2 run by the Hokies

U16 Media Timeout Score – 47-39 VT

47-42 uva 3 pointer
– Brown’s shot blocked, Eddie misses a three in the corner, uva rebounds
– Eddie commits foul
– Eddie limping
– Ziggy misses a 3 point attempt, VT rebounds
49-42 Green with the pretty, athletic runner in the lane (12 points)
49-44 Ziggy scores on the backdoor layup
– Raines misses, uva rebounds
– Harris misses, VT rebounds
– Brown fouled going to the hoop

U12 Media Timeout Score – 49-44 VT

49-44 Brown misses 2 FTs
– uva misses a 3 point attempt, VT rebound
– VT misses, uva rebound
49-46 Evans scores on a slashing layup
– DFS has his shot blocked, bad shot
– VT has lost all momentum
– Green blocks a shot, VT gets the loose ball
– Brown misses another excessively long 3 point attempt
49-49 Ziggy finally makes a 3 pointer
– Rankin misses a 3 pointer
– uva misses three shots, VT rebounds
– DFS misses a 3 point attempt
49-51 Evans scores to give uva the lead
49-53 Ziggy steals it and scores
– timeout VT
– DFS misses ANOTHER 3 point attempt
– foul on VT
– Eddie called for the foul, gives uva a fresh 35
– uva on an 11-0 run
– Scott misses, Eddie rebounds
– Raines misses, Hokies have gone 8 minutes without a FG
49-55 Scott scores and is fouled by Raines
49-56 Scott makes the FT
– uva on a 14-0 run
– foul on Ziggy
51-56 Brown makes 2 FTs
– Evans turns it over for uva
– more than 9 minutes without a FG for VT
– Ziggy gets a held ball call on Brown, possession arrow to uva
51-59 Evans hits a long long three to beat the shot clock
– game over –
– Green fouled
53-59 Green makes 2FTs
– Green fouled going through the lane, nearly got the shot to fall, but it didn’t
– Evans fouled out for uva, first uva player to foul out of a game this year
54-59 Green makes 1/2 FTs
– 11 minutes without a FG for the Hokies
– Ziggy misses a three, VT rebound
– Hudson fouled spinning through the lane
– Ziggy fouls out for uva, the second uva player to foul out this season
55-59 Hudson makes 1/2 FTs
– uva rebounds missed FT
– Raines called for the foul on Scott, 6th team foul on VT
57-61 Green finally breaks the 12+ minute FG drought for the Hokies and gets the foul
58-61 Green completes the 3-point play
– DFS fouls Mitchell (36.7 seconds left)
– Mitchell misses the front end of the 1-and-1, out of bounds on Scott, Hokies ball
– Green fouled going to the hoop
59-61 Green makes 1/2 FTs (26.3 seconds left)
– Raines fouls Mitchell
– Mitchell misses the front end of the 1-and-1
– DFS turns it over before the Hokies can even get a shot off
– uva misses the front end of the 1-and-1, VT rebounds, but no time for a shot

Final Score – uva 61, VT 59