Field Level Media
Jan 12, 2021
Tyrece Radford posted 18 points and 12 rebounds as No. 20 Virginia Tech handed No. 19 Duke its first Atlantic Coast Conference loss of the season, prevailing 74-67 on Tuesday night in Blacksburg, Va.
Keve Aluma's 17 points and seven rebounds also boosted the Hokies (10-2, 4-1 ACC) while Jalen Cone chipped in 14 points off the bench.
Jeremy Roach's 22 points and Matthew Hurt's 20 points and 11 rebounds paced Duke (5-3, 3-1), which had a three-game winning streak snapped. DJ Steward added 14 points.
Duke, which was playing in only its second road game of the season, climbed within 64-59 with less than eight minutes remaining before the Hokies steadied themselves. Aluma made consecutive shots from the field to increase the lead to nine.
However, Virginia Tech had a stretch of 6 1/2 minutes with just those four points. Duke's offense slumped as well, enduring a five-minute span with just one basket from the floor.
Then, with Virginia Tech up 68-64, the Hokies posted the next five points, capped by Justyn Mutts' dunk at the 1:02 mark.
Virginia Tech overcame 12-for-19 shooting at the free-throw line.
The Blue Devils finished 8-for-29 (27.6 percent) on 3-point attempts, part of their 40 percent shooting from the field overall.
Virginia Tech opened an 18-point lead in the first half, aided by an opening stretch of 9-for-13 shooting from the field. The Hokies held a 46-34 halftime edge.
Duke has lost in four of its last five visits to Cassell Coliseum, with last season's outcome the lone exception in that span.
This was the first ACC game this season with both teams holding national rankings at the time of the game.
Highly touted Duke freshman Jalen Johnson returned to action for the first time in more than a month after recovering from a foot injury, scoring two points off the bench. Reserve Henry Coleman and assistant coach Chris Carrawell didn't make the trip because of illnesses.
--Field Level Media