Embedded Files
By Carter Hill
Staff Writer
February 4, 2023
Virginia Tech's Sean Pedulla tied a career-high with 22 points in the Hokies' 74-68 win over UVa. (Virginia Tech Athletics)
BLACKSBURG — Searching, seeking and in desperation mode for a big-time victory, Virginia Tech badly needed to hold off a surging UVa after a 7-0 Cavalier run.
At 3-8 in the ACC and time on the 2022-23 campaign slowly starting to run out, it became oh so important for the Hokies to answer and finish off what eventually would be a massive victory for Tech’s shaky, but stable NCAA Tournament hopes.
Turns out, the maroon and orange were able to do just that.
With the Hokies leading 55-52 with 6:42 to play, and star point guard Sean Pedulla sidelined with a recently picked up fourth personal foul, Tech had to bear down and get a much-needed bucket. And to VT’s credit, it did.
The newly checked-in John Camden immediately proceeded to lob a pass down low in the post for the double-teamed Grant Basile. After a slight pump fake, the Wright State graduate transfer went up-and-under on reserve Ryan Dunn for a reverse layup, making it a five-point game.
Two possessions later, the Hokies struck again. A posted up Basile sensed an opportunity on the outside, and with 5:10 to play, he found a wide-open Hunter Cattoor waiting patiently on the right wing - bottoms. The maroon and orange had opened up a 60-52 advantage, and the No. 6 Cavaliers (17-4, 9-3 ACC) could never recover from there, falling to Virginia Tech (14-9, 4-8), 74-68, on Saturday afternoon in Blacksburg.
“[We’ve] got high character people,” Tech fourth-year head coach Mike Young said following the win. “[There’s been] no pouting. [It’s just been] back to practice the next day. Yeah, we got Virginia coming in. Yes, [an] in-state [game] and all that stuff.
“But we’ve got an opportunity to play another really, really good opponent. We got a chance to play Virginia Tech basketball, fight and compete and adhere to the things that were important to us. And we did that by and large on both ends of the floor.”
Tech shot 50.9% (27-of-53) from the field and 38.9% (7-of-18) from three in the six-point triumph, and were paced by a game-high 22 points from the sophomore Pedulla, who finished the day going 6-of-13 from the floor and 2-of-6 from three-point range.
“A good solid game,” Young said about Pedulla’s performance. “He didn’t try to do too much. He stayed within himself. He was our point guard. He distributed. …He competed his face off.”
Pedulla’s defensive performance played a major role, too. The Oklahoma native’s suffocating defending was a big reason why UVa shot just 41% (25-of-61), and a key factor in holding the Cavaliers to just 6-of-18 (33.3%) from downtown.
The defense as a whole, though, was quite stout. And, for the most part, was simply the opposite of the mid-January 78-68 loss in Charlottesville in the first meeting between the two programs.
“I thought we were pretty darn salty defensively,” Young said. “We were just better connected. Our ball screen defense was all in all pretty good.”
Tech was active on defense, breaking through UVa’s screens — as was the overall performances of Justyn Mutts, who added 17 points and eight assists, Basile, who put up 14 points of his own, and Cattoor, who scored 10 points himself, and knocked down 3-of-7 shots from deep.
Cattoor’s play may have been the most impactful of them all. The senior sharpshooter was held scoreless by the Cavaliers in the first period of play, before hitting all three of his shots from beyond the arc in the second half to help seal the deal for the Hokies.
“Just another mark of a really, really good player,” Young said. “He’s not going to get outside of himself. He’s not going to get into an area that he’s not accustomed to and take a bad [shot].
“What’s best for the team? His ball-handling, his cutting, his defense, we can’t live without. …Two of the three in the second half were just like, ‘Holy cow, man. Do you. Keep going.’ He was terrific.”
Tech also received a valuable six points and five rebounds off the bench from junior forward Lynn Kidd, and used an impactful 17 minutes off the bench from John Camden to help soften the blow of no Darius Maddox for the third consecutive game.
The Cavaliers got a solid 20 points from forward Jayden Gardner, 17 from Kihei Clark and 15 from Reece Beekman, but never led. And in the end, the effort wasn’t enough.
The Hokies have their much-needed win — and now, there’s an opportunity. Tech’s margin for error is slim, but with the likes of Boston College, Notre Dame and Georgia Tech waiting in the wings, there’s certainly a chance to build some momentum and continue to enhance the postseason resume for a potential sixth straight NCAA Tournament berth.
“Every game, there’s big-time desperation,” Mutts said. “We know how good we are. I feel like there’s evidence out there for anybody who watches our games. …We know that we have a team to really make something special happen. We feel like we can do anything. There’s no team that we feel like is better than us.
“It’s just a matter of doing it, day in and day out.”
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