Field Level Media
Feb 22, 2018
Ty Jerome scored 18 points to lead No. 1 Virginia past struggling Georgia Tech 65-54 Wednesday night at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Va.
The win for the Cavaliers earned them the No. 1 seed for next month's Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament in Brooklyn.
Virginia (25-2, 14-1 ACC) overcame a slow first half and held Georgia Tech (11-17, 4-11) to 24 second-half points, including keeping the Yellow Jackets scoreless for the final 3:26 of the game.
Joining Jerome, five players for the Cavaliers scored at least seven points. De'Andre Hunter and Mamadi Diakite scored nine points apiece off of the bench while Kyle Guy added eight.
The Cavaliers shot 48 percent for the game and connected on seven of their 14 3-point attempts.
Georgia Tech trailed by just one at the half but struggled to score down the stretch and didn't make a shot for the final 4:05. The Yellow Jackets shot 43 percent on the night and got 22 points from Ben Lammers. It was Lammers' highest point total in over a month. Tadric Jackson added 15 points.
The Cavaliers forced just six Georgia Tech turnovers while turning the ball over just six times themselves. The Cavaliers and Yellow Jackets each got 26 points in the paint while Virginia held the free throw advantage, hitting 12 of its 18 attempts. Georgia Tech attempted just eight, making six.
Each team's largest lead of the first half was three points, as neither squad could gain a stranglehold on the game. Georgia Tech shot 46 percent and got 11 points from Lammers.
Virginia also shot 46 percent in the half and got eight points from Guy, but couldn't shake a pesky Georgia Tech team.
The Cavaliers would lead 31-30 after 20 minutes of play.
Georgia Tech returns to action Saturday when it travels to take on No. 15 Clemson. Virginia also hits the road Saturday to play Pittsburgh.
--Field Level Media