CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (WTKR)- Kihei Clark has gone up against Virginia Tech plenty of times, but he very well may have saved his best of the series for his last home meeting with the Hokies.
Clark scored a game-high 20 points and added five assists to lead No. 10 Virginia (14-3, 6-2) past its arch rivals, 78-68, at John Paul Jones Arena on Wednesday night. The victory marks the Cavaliers' fourth in a row and sends Virginia Tech (11-7, 1-6) to its sixth straight loss.
UVA opened the game on an 11-2 run before the Hokies charged back to take a 21-19 lead with 7:57 to go in the opening frame. A 7-0 Wahoo run towards the end of the half gave the home team some cushion as Tony Bennett's squad went into the locker room up 40-31.
The second half would see the Cavaliers lead from wire-to-wire, though Virginia Tech would pull to within two on a couple of occasions. Reece Beekman completed a three-point play with a free throw at the 3:52 mark to give UVA its largest lead of the game at 74-60 and UVA would cruise to the win from there.
Clark's efforts led five Cavaliers in double figures. Armaan Franklin scored 15 points, while Jayden Gardner chipped in 12 points. Beekman added 11 points and seven assists, with Bennett Vander Plas scoring 10 points and grabbing seven rebounds.
Virginia Tech also saw five players reach double figures in scoring, led by Darius Maddox who scored 13 points. Grant Basile put up 12 points, Hunter Cattoor dropped 11 points in his return to action with Sean Pedulla and Justyn Mutts each scoring 10 points.
UVA dominated in the lane and at the free throw line. The Cavaliers out-scored Tech in the paint, 36-22 and knocked down 12 of their 13 shots from the charity stripe. The Hokies only attempted two free throws throughout the entire game, connecting on both.
Virginia and Virginia Tech will meet again in Blacksburg on February 4.
The Cavaliers and Hokies both return to action on Saturday, with UVA visiting Wake Forest and Virginia Tech traveling to Clemson.
