CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia coach Tony Bennett glanced at the stat sheet, though he wasn't looking for answers.
Neither was Jontel Evans after contributing to a brutal shooting night for No. 15 Virginia. The Cavaliers shot the ball so poorly even the defense that is their calling card couldn't save them.
"We struggled from the 3. We struggled from the free throw line. We even missed some layups," Bennett said after a 47-45 loss to Virginia Tech on Sunday night. "I told our guys, what else can you do but take those shots. ... Even with all of that cold shooting there were still opportunities for them to win this game. When you look at it statistically, it was obvious that it's hard to be successful when shots aren't dropping."
The Cavaliers (15-3, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) did have one flurry late in the game after both teams were scoreless for more than 3 minutes with the score tied at 37.
Sammy Zeglinski finally ended the drought for Virginia, hitting one free throw, and Scott made it 40-37 with a fast break dunk. On the play, Malcolm Brogdon came away with a long rebound and started the break, and then fed Scott flying down the land for the one-handed stuff.
The sellout crowd erupted, but the Hokies quickly answered.
"When Mike hit that dunk, I thought we were going to make a run," Evans said, "but then they called a timeout, came out and hit a shot, so they were right back in the game."
The Hokies outscored Virginia 10-5 in the final 4 minutes.
Erick Green scored 15 points, including two free throws with 1:52 remaining to give Virginia Tech the lead, and Dorenzo Hudson had six points over the final 2:12 as the Hokies ended the Cavaliers' nine-game home winning streak.
Hudson, who finished with 12 points, hit a baby hook with 1:11 to go to give Virginia Tech a 44-41 lead. After a jumper by Evans pulled Virginia within a point, Hudson hit a 3-pointer from the left corner with 16.5 seconds left for the Hokies (12-7, 1-4).
Virginia needed several shots to score at the other end, and when Joe Harris finally did, only 1 second remained. Virginia shot 32.6 percent overall and missed 13 of 14 3-point attempts.
Evans, Harris and Mike Scott all scored 10 points for the Cavaliers.
Hokies freshman guard Marquis Rankin, in the game to give Green a rest, got the Hokies within 40-39 with a foul-line jumper.
Harris then made just 1 of 2 free throws, capping a second half in which Virginia missed 7 of 13 from the line.
Hudson made 1 of 2 for the Hokies, and Green made two free throws with 1:52 to go, giving the Hokies a 42-21 lead.
After a turnover, Hudson's baby hook stretched the lead to three, and the Cavaliers never caught up.
Virginia Tech led 23-19 at halftime after closing on a 10-4 run fueled by Jarell Eddie, who ended consecutive possessions by barely beating the shot clock with long 3-pointers. Eddie came into the game shooting better than 50 percent from behind the arc.
Virginia shot just 25 percent in the opening half.
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