Virginia Tech men’s basketball went toe-to-toe with No. 23 Louisville in the second half of Saturday’s game, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the first-half deficit in the 85-71 loss.
The Hokies (15-6, 4-4 ACC) allowed a 14-3 run over the final four minutes of the first half, which gave the Cardinals (14-5, 4-3) breathing room in what was previously a four-point game. They led 37-22 at intermission.
Tech found an offensive groove out of the locker room, improving from the 24 percent first-half shooting (8-for-33) to 59 percent in the second (17-for-29). It was lethal from behind the arc, too, finishing with 16 made 3-pointers on 30 attempts (53.3%), the majority of which came on 11-for-17 (64.7%) shooting after the break.
Yet, the Hokies couldn’t slow down the Cardinals, led by star freshman Mikel Brown Jr. After missing the last eight games with a lower back injury, the guard returned on Saturday and led the way with 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting, which included three triples.
When it wasn’t Brown scoring for Louisville, it was often Ryan Conwell. Four of his five made field goals were threes as he went for 15 points and six boards.
The Cardinals were 47 percent from the field on the day (31-for-66) and lived up to their billing as one of the highest-volume 3-point teams in the country by making 13 of their 33 looks.
They were better than the Hokies for 40 minutes, shooting 40 percent in the first half (14-for-45) and 54.8 percent in the second (17-for-31). Even with Tech hitting everything from long range, it couldn’t get the stops it needed.
Louisville led by as many as 20 points in the second half after five quick points from Isaac McKneely, who finished with eight. Tech cut into the deficit and got it down to as little as eight with 7:22 remaining after an 8-0 run on the heels of back-to-back Amani Hansberry threes, but five quick points from the Cardinals settled things back down.
Jailen Bedford was outstanding for the Hokies with a game-high 24 points, his fifth double-figure outing in seven January appearances. He was 8-for-15 from the floor and tied his career-high in 3-pointers made by cashing six of his eight looks. He also racked up five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Bedford had 11 of Tech’s 22 points at the half and, along with Ben Hammond, kept the team in the game. Hammond finished with 18 points and drilled four of his five threes while dishing out five assists and adding two steals.
Jaden Schutt knocked down three treys and added nine points off the bench, but the surprise was the Hokies’ frontcourt. They were quiet for much of the afternoon against Louisville’s J’Vonne Hadley (14 points, six rebounds) and Sanandra Fru (13 points, 10 rebounds).
Hansberry accounted for seven of the team’s 13 turnovers and did not make a field goal until the 14:03 mark of the second half when he stepped out and hit a three. While he accounted for 18 points, 17 of which came in the second half, and corralled seven boards, the production came too late.
Tobi Lawal was also kept in check. Though he brought down nine rebounds and blocked a career-high five shots, he only scored two points, a bucket that came with 8:16 remaining. Moreover, freshman center Christian Gurdak had two points and four rebounds, and his lone basket was with 28 seconds left in the game.
That inside trio, which Tech leaned on through the first seven games of conference play, was a combined 6-for-20. Along those lines, the Cardinals outscored the Hokies 36-14 in the paint and 20-7 on second-chance points while outrebounding them 44-31.
Neoklis Avdalas was quiet, too. He was 1-for-8 for two points with four assists, two rebounds and a block. He was subbed out with 9:53 to play and did not return to the floor.
After splitting their last four games, three of which came on the road, the Hokies are back in Cassell Coliseum for the next two. Georgia Tech ventures to Blacksburg on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET) before No. 5 Duke pays a visit on Saturday (noon ET, ESPN).
Box Score: No. 23 Louisville 85, Virginia Tech 71