In its final regular-season game of the year, Virginia Tech hopes to get Sunday vs. visiting Clemson what Virginia got Thursday night in a 69-56 win over the Hokies at sold-out John Paul Jones Arena.
The Cavaliers hit their first four shots, two of them 3s, and “they got the crowd into the game and fed off the energy,” said Tech guard Zabian Dowdell.
Hokies guard Markus Sailes will be one of five seniors honored Sunday, and at Virginia, Sailes did what he has regularly done the last two seasons. The Varina High graduate played 25 minutes off the bench, more than usual because starting guard Jamon Gordon was in foul trouble, and didn’t hurt Tech. Sailes scored 6 on 3-of-5 shooting. Sailes was the only Hokie to hit more than half of his attempts.
Virginia Tech’s starting front line of forwards Deron Washington and A.D. Vassallo and center Coleman Collins combined to miss 17 of 23 attempts.
“We just could never get on a run,” said Gordon. “We couldn’t make easy shots we usually make.”
Offense is generally the issue what Tech falls. In five of their last six defeats, the Hokies have failed to reach 60 points.