BLACKSBURG, Va. — In an intense matchup Saturday, Isaac McKneely led the way for Virginia with 22 points, while Anthony Robinson contributed 15 points off the bench, helping the Cavaliers secure a narrow 73-70 victory over their rivals, Virginia Tech. This win marked Virginia’s first triumph in Blacksburg since the year 2020.
Dai Dai Ames also played a significant role for Virginia, adding 11 points to the scoreboard. For Virginia Tech, Tobi Lawal was the standout performer, scoring 23 points with an impressive 7-for-11 shooting performance, while teammate Ben Hammond chipped in with 11 points. Both teams now stand with identical records of 6-8 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, with overall records of 13-12 for Virginia and 11-14 for Virginia Tech.
The game came down to the wire, with the Hokies missing critical 3-point attempts in the final moments. Ben Burnham had a chance to tie it, but his shot from the left wing with just three seconds remaining was off target. Earlier, Brandon Rechsteiner’s straight-on 3-point attempt with 44 seconds left could have evened the score, but it also missed. Virginia’s McKneely had a chance to extend the lead with a three-pointer 12 seconds from the end but could not convert.
Virginia had built a 62-53 lead when McKneely hit a significant 3-pointer with 7:53 left on the clock, which prompted a spirited comeback attempt from the Hokies. Earlier in the game, Elijah Saunders’ 3-pointer at the 6:38 mark of the first half established Virginia’s largest advantage at 32-17. During a particular stretch, Virginia dominated with a 22-9 scoring run over Virginia Tech.
However, the Hokies rallied just before halftime; Lawal’s electrifying dunk with 5:14 remaining sparked an offensive surge that allowed Virginia Tech to outscore the Cavaliers 16-8 to close the gap to 40-33 by the time halftime arrived. Notably, during this stretch, Virginia struggled offensively, failing to make a field goal for nearly four minutes.
With this result, Virginia now holds a commanding 99-61 lead in the all-time rivalry that dates back over a century, specifically to February 20, 1915. Over the past three years, the season series had been shared, with each team winning on their home courts until Virginia Tech broke that pattern with a narrow 75-74 victory in Charlottesville a couple of weeks ago, marking their first win there since 2018.
Looking ahead, Virginia will face a formidable opponent in third-ranked Duke on Monday, while Virginia Tech will take on Boston College in their upcoming game on Tuesday.
