Tech rally falters in 17th straight loss to Louisville
Several elements were in place for No. 19 Virginia Tech to endure an utter disaster Wednesday night in Louisville.
A lull of nearly 8½ minutes for Virginia Tech in the first half without a successful shot from the floor. A slow start in the second half that saw the Hokies fall behind by 14 points with less than 15 minutes left. Double-digit deficits for Tech in both points in the paint and second-chance points.
Tech managed to rally down the stretch before ultimately falling 73-71 to Louisville, which has won 17 consecutive games against the Hokies dating back to 1991.
“We had a bad start,” said Tech coach Mike Young. “Proud of them for hanging in there and doing everything but winning the basketball game.”
Based on how Tech (8-2, 2-1) bounced back, Young can be partially excused for his memory failing him, but the Hokies actually didn’t get off to a horrible start. Virginia Tech, which had a fourgame winning streak end, jumped out to an 11-0 lead, making its first four shots from the floor, but it missed 14 of its next 20.
Jalen Cone’s career-high 23 points, featuring 6-of-12 shooting from 3-point range, helped Tech, which shot 43% from the floor, whittle the deficit away.
Three things we saw
Coming off the bench, guard Hunter Cattoor had a chance to play the hero late for Tech.
With Tech trailing 71-64, he scored a layup in transition with 1:59 remaining. Then, two possessions later, he made a jumper in the lane, got fouled by Carlik Jones and made the ensuing free throw with 1:07 left, trimming Louisville’s lead to 72-69. His 3-pointer from about 35 feet at the buzzer clanged off the right side of the rim.
“I think Hunter took a great shot,” Young said of Cattoor’s final 3. “Hunter is definitely one of those guys everybody would choose to take that shot. ... I’m sure if you give him that shot five more times, he’ll hit the next four.”
Tech’s Keve Aluma missed seven of 10 shots from the floor and finished with 11 points. “I just think he didn’t have his best stuff,” Young said. “He wasn’t as explosive in the paint. ... He just didn’t have all four pitches working.”
Tech’s three ACC games have been decided by a total of 10 points. Is that going to be standard operating procedure this season?
“I think so,” Young said. “Buckle up for safety. Get rest while you can. There’s nothing easy. It’s hard, but I really like my team and I really like the direction of my team.”
Norm Wood, 757-247-4644, nwood@dailypress.com