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No. 2 Virginia basketball upset by Virginia Tech in OT

Virginia’s quest for perfection in the ACC came to a jarring end on Saturday night.All the more dispiriting for the second-ranked Cavaliers was the loss came against contentious in-state rival Virginia Tech, which rallied in overtime, 61-60, at raucous John Paul Jones Arena.Virginia had its 15-game wining streak snapped and likely lost a chance to ascend to No.1 in the rankings for the first time since December 1982.The Cavaliers (23-2, 12-1) still hold a two-game lead in the ACC over second-place Clemson, which they beat in the teams’ only meeting, with five games left in the regular season but failed to sweep the season series in the Commonwealth Clash.The Hokies, meanwhile, secured a signature victory in front of an announced crowd of 14,623 that’s certain to boost their NCAA tournament profile.And the accomplished it by overcoming a five-point deficit in the final 39 seconds of overtime.Kerry Blackshear Jr.’s putback with 5.8seconds to play produced the final margin in the Hokies’ fifth win in six games.Virginia Tech (17-8, 7-6) was able to celebrate officially when Ty Jerome’s deep three-pointer missed, dealing the Cavaliers their first loss since Dec.5 at West Virginia.“I say it with 100 percent sincerity.It’s just who our kids are,” Coach Buzz Williams said of the Hokes’ first road victory over a ranked opponent this season.“There’s multiple [games] where we could have just stopped or quit or splintered apart.It’s the togetherness of those kids.” The first momentum swing in overtime tilted toward Virginia, which took a 54-51 lead with a 5-0 burst that included De’Andre Hunter’s three-point play.But the Hokies came right back to tie when senior guard Justin Bibbs swished a three-pointer from the left wing with 2:27 to go.Devon Hall’s three-pointer put Virginia ahead, 57-54, and the margin grew to 59-54 when Isaiah Wilkins made both ends of a one-and-one.The Hokies then clawed to 60-59 with 20 seconds remaining on Blackshear’s layup and a three-pointer from Justin Robinson.With 13 seconds to go, Hall missed the front end of a one-and-one, and Blackshear collected the rebound off Robinson’s missed layup before scoring on the follow while drawing a foul.“I shoot tons of free throws every day, so it’s frustrating,” said Hall, who had a team-high 16 points but made only 1 of 3 from the foul line.He entered shooting 93.4percent from the line.Also troubling was the Cavaliers’ wayward shooting from three-point range, where they went 11 for 38, including 1 for 5 in overtime.Jerome and guard Kyle Guy, Virginia’s third starting guard, combined to go 4 for 24 (17 percent) from beyond the arc.In a game of steep momentum swings, Virginia erased a four-point deficit in the final 1:19 of the second half to force overtime.Jerome made both baskets for the Cavaliers, and the sophomore had a chance at the game-winner with a three-pointer from NBA distance — well within his range — but the shot bounced off the front iron as the buzzer sounded in regulation.