No. 22 Virginia Tech too much for Georgia Tech

BLACKSBURG, VA - FEBRUARY 13: Jose Alvarado #10 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Nickeil Alexander-Walker #4 of the Virginia Tech Hokies reach for the ball in the first half at Cassell Coliseum on February 13, 2019 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Lauren Rakes/Getty Images)

Credit: Lauren Rakes

Credit: Lauren Rakes

BLACKSBURG, VA - FEBRUARY 13: Jose Alvarado #10 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Nickeil Alexander-Walker #4 of the Virginia Tech Hokies reach for the ball in the first half at Cassell Coliseum on February 13, 2019 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Lauren Rakes/Getty Images)

Georgia Tech fell to its sixth consecutive defeat Wednesday night, undone by a Virginia Tech team that was uncommonly effective from 3-point range and exploited the Yellow Jackets’ turnovers.

The No. 22 Hokies swept the season series with a 76-68 win. Virginia Tech was 13-for-30 from 3-point range (43.3 percent), enough to override a game effort by the Jackets at Cassell Coliseum. It tied for the most 3-pointers allowed by the Jackets this season. Georgia Tech had entered the game allowing opponents to hit 27.7 percent of their 3-pointers, sixth nationally.

“They had a great game plan keeping the ball in the middle and trying to kick out for 3’s,” Georgia Tech guard Michael  Devoe said. “They knocked down a lot of shots.”

Georgia Tech (11-14 overall, 3-9 ACC) was within five points at the 6:41 mark with a 3-pointer from guard Brandon Alston that cut the lead to 56-51. However, the Hokies answered with a jumper by forward Kerry Blackshear and then Jackets forward Kristian Sjolund lost the ball coming off a ball screen, which resulted in a live-ball turnover and an and-one fast-break layup by guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (off a Blackshear assist) to push the lead to 61-51 with 5:53 to play. Virginia Tech’s lead was never less than seven after that.

With All-ACC point guard Justin Robinson out for the Hokies with a foot injury, Blackshear was a difference maker. He had 16 points to go with eight assists, four steals, four rebounds and no turnovers. Six of his assists set up 3-point shots.

“Blackshear did a great job finding those guys, and it’s not always easy against our zone,” coach Josh Pastner said. “We’re a very good defensive team, very, very good defensively, and Blackshear, like I said, was the MVP (Wednesday night) for them.”

The perimeter shooting by Virginia Tech (19-5, 8-4) was no comparison with its effort in the teams’ first meeting on January 9, when the Hokies were 5-for-27 from 3-point range in a 52-49 win over the Jackets. Wednesday, the Hokies were effective in moving the ball in and out of Georgia Tech’s zone, and the Jackets were often drawn into the paint to defend Blackshear, permitting the Hokies cleaner looks from 3-point range.

“He made great reads,” Pastner said of Blackshear.

Of the Hokies’ 25 baskets, 20 were scored off assists, a rate indicative of superior ball movement.

Georgia Tech functioned better on offense than it has recently, shooting 43.4 percent from the field, which was its highest rate since its last win (over Notre Dame January 22). But the Jackets turned the ball over 13 times to the Hokies’ nine, and frequently gave up possession in live-ball situations. Virginia Tech scored 17 points off turnovers to nine for the Jackets.

“It’s a ballgame I believe we should have won, and they had guys that made big-time plays in big-time moments, and we weren’t able to match that every time, and we came up a little short,” center James Banks said.

Georgia Tech fought back from 27-16 deficit with just under five minutes to play in the first half to take a 30-27 halftime lead on a 14-0 run. The lead lasted until a 3-pointer by Isaiah Wilkins (from Blackshear) at the 16:06 mark gave the Hokies a 36-35 lead, an advantage they never relinquished for the remainder of the game.

Devoe led all scorers with a career-high 22 points, the second game in a row that he has hit a career scoring high. He was 6-for-11 from the field, 4-for-7 from 3-point range and 6-for-7 from the line, along with five rebounds, five assists against two turnovers. In ACC play, he is now 21-for-44 from 3-point range (47.7 percent).

“I’m just feeling more and more confident every game,” said Devoe, who has had double-figure scoring games in five of Georgia Tech’s past seven games.

Guard Jose Alvarado struggled again on offense, scoring four points on 2-for-10 shooting from the field and 0-for-6 from 3-point range. He is averaging four points per game in the Jackets’ six-game losing streak after averaging 13.8 points per game in his first 18 games of the season.

“We’re going to keep coming up a little short until Jose can make some shots for us,” Pastner said. “And I love him dearly, and he plays his tail off for me. We’ve got to get him to make a couple 3’s.”

Georgia Tech was 11-for-27 from 3-point range (40.7 percent), its most made 3-point baskets since the season opener and its first time above 36 percent in nine games. Besides Devoe’s work from beyond the arc, Sjolund again gave the Jackets a spark off the bench.

The freshman forward knocked down three of seven 3-point tries and also rose up for a first-half dunk on a pass from forward Abdoulaye Gueye. He finished with 11 points in 26 minutes, both career highs. Prior to Georgia Tech’s Sunday game at Notre Dame, he had played a total of 62 minutes and scored nine points.

“I felt like I did alright, but I felt like there’s a lot of stuff that I still need to keep working on,” Sjolund said.

The Jackets were without forward Evan Cole (viral illness) and guard Shembari Phillips (flu). Two walk-ons, forward Evan Jester (sprained thumb) and guard Malachi Rice (viral illness) were also not available.