Georgia Tech falls just short against No. 13 Virginia

Playing near its peak for much of the game, Georgia Tech pushed No. 13 Virginia to the brink Saturday night in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Yellow Jackets, however, were unable to summon the final push, falling 64-62 to the Cavaliers in a loss that was both agonizing and a little affirming.

“It shows how good we are, how good we’re going to be in the future,” guard Jose Alvarado said. “Because the team that we’ve got right here is really, really good. Unfortunately, we fell short (Saturday).”

Tech’sfive-game winning streak came to an end at John Paul Jones Arena and its los- ing streak to the Cavaliers extended to seven games. But, against arguably their strongest opponent of the season and a longtime nem- esis, the Jackets led by as many as 11 in the second half and had a chance to win it on their final shot, a 3-point try at the buzzer from guard Michael Devoe that bounced off the front rim.

Led by the superlative play of Alvarado and guard/for- ward Jordan Usher, the Jack- ets (7-4, 3-2 ACC) controlled play for much of the game, turning defensive stops into transition opportunities against the stingy Cavaliers. Alvarado was a pain for the Cavaliers at both ends of the floor.

“I can’t say enough about the guy,” Tech coach Josh Pastner said. “He’sawesome.”

Jumping into passing lanes and poking away the ball, Alvarado had six steals after digging out five in the win over No. 20 Clemson on Wednesday. At times, Pastner assigned him to guard UVA forward Sam Hauser, despite Alvarado giving up 8 inches in height. Alvarado challenged shots and twice relieved the 6-foot-8 Hauser of the ball when he backed him down in the post.

Usher was a force again, following up his 21-point effort in the upset of Clemson with 19 points, six rebounds, three blocks and no turn- overs. Usher harnessed his estimable explosiveness in attacks on the basket as he scored 15 points in the first half to help Tech to a 36-32 halftime lead.

The two combined for a highlight reel alley-oop dunk at the 15:26 mark of the second half, with Alvarado threading a pass from well beyond the 3-point arc that Usher caught well above the basket and brought down for a dunk. It gave the Jackets a 49-38 lead, their largest of the game.

After making 21 of 41 shots through the first 30 minutes, the Jackets were 3-for-12 in the final 10 minutes. Three of their shots were blocked by 7-1 Jay Huff. The Cavaliers outscored Tech 19-8 in the final 10 minutes. In that closing stretch, Hauser scored 11 of his season-high 22 points.

“In the first half, they kind of got whatever they wanted,” Hauser said. “The second half, we tried to make ’em earn it more.”

Before Saturday, Virginia opponents had shot 40.6% from the field and had a 1.2 assist/turnover ratio. Tech shot 45.3% from the field and had a 2.0 assist/turnover ratio (12/6). It was a seventh consecutive loss to the Cavaliers, but it felt different than the previous six, which Virginia won by an average of 15.8 points.

“Virginia’s a very good basketball team,” Pastner said, “but so are we.”

The challenge now for Tech will be to respond to the loss in a productive way, with a game against Duke on Tuesday in Durham, North Carolina. The Blue Devils have dominated Tech for merely the past 24 years of the series. They’re 37-3 in that time and they’ve won the past 13. With a record of 5-5 and losses in its past three games, Duke appears more vulnerable than in the past, but if the Jackets take satisfaction in nearly upsetting Virginia, the indulgence might cost them.

“We really have gotten better and improved, and we’ve got to keep moving in that direction,” Pastner said.