Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs Virginia Tech Hokies Match Player Stats On Feb 02, 2022

Keve Aluma scored 24 points and Storm Murphy added 18 to lead hot-shooting Virginia Tech to an 81-66 Atlantic Coast Conference victory over Georgia Tech on Wednesday in Blacksburg, Va.

On a night when he topped the 1,000-point mark for his career, Aluma made 8 of 11 shots from the floor and 8 of 9 from the free-throw line. He also collected seven rebounds to help the Hokies to a 36-26 edge on the boards.

Justyn Mutts also topped the 1,000-point mark for his career, finishing with 10 points and eight rebounds for Virginia Tech (12-10, 4-7). With Murphy sinking 4 of 6 shots from beyond the arc, the Hokies shot 52.8 percent from the floor.

Virginia Tech seized control late in the first half and extended its lead to as many as 22 points after the break.

Georgia Tech (9-12, 2-8) was paced by the ACC's third-leading scorer Michael Devoe, who tallied 30 points on 11 of 19 shooting. He didn't get much help, however, as his teammates made only 13 of 41 shots.

Tech dominated the first eight minutes of the second half, turning a 46-35 lead to a 63-41 bulge. Aluma supplied seven of the points in a 17-6 run and Murphy added a 3-pointer and followed with a steal and a breakaway layup.

The Yellow Jackets made a late eight-point run to slice the deficit to 74-63 with 2:30 left. But that's as close as they got.

Murphy came out firing, hitting a trio of 3-pointers in the first four minutes. But Virginia Tech didn't pull away until later in the first half, when it outscored Georgia Tech 15-2.

Aluma started the spree with a pair of free throws and finished it with a tip-in. Hunter Cattoor added a 3-pointer and Mutts contributed four points.

The run gave the Hokies a 38-25 lead. In the closing minutes of the half, Darius Maddox expanded the lead to 14 points with a corner 3.

--Field Level Media