Spokesman-Review
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Louisville 72, Virginia Tech 64
When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, February 4, 2019
Where: Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, Virginia
Officials: # Doug Sirmons, # Michael Stephens, # Jeff Clark
Attendance: 9275

Ryan McMahon and Dwayne Sutton each scored 17 points as 16th-ranked Louisville defeated 11th-ranked Virginia Tech for the 15th consecutive time, courtesy of a 72-64 victory on Monday in Blacksburg, Va.

Jordan Nwora added 15 points for the Cardinals (17-6, 8-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who have won seven of their past eight overall. Louisville's last loss to Virginia Tech came on Feb. 13, 1991.

Kerry Blackshear Jr. had a team-high 21 points and Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 17 for the depleted Hokies (18-4, 7-3). Virginia Tech saw its three-game winning streak end and fell to 11-1 at Cassell Coliseum this season.

Virginia Tech senior guard Justin Robinson, who averages 14.4 points and a team-high 5.4 assists per contest, sat out his second consecutive game due to a left foot injury sustained Wednesday in an 82-70 win over Miami.

Isaiah Wilkins sank a 3-pointer to cap a 7-0 run as the Hokies trimmed their deficit to 41-38 before Louisville reclaimed the momentum, with McMahon scoring 12 straight points for his team.

McMahon made all three free-throw attempts after being fouled on a 3-point attempt before connecting from beyond the arc on three consecutive possessions to build the Cardinals' lead to 53-41 midway into the second half.

Louisville's advantage rose to 14 before Blackshear drilled a 3-pointer, converted a three-point play and made a spinning left-handed shot in the lane to cut the deficit to 61-53 with 3:50 remaining.

Alexander-Walker sank a pair of free throws, but Virginia Tech was unable to make the Cardinals pay for a turnover in their own end, and Nwora drove to the basket to regain the momentum for Louisville with 2:40 left.

Nwora sank 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to stake Louisville to an early 14-4 lead. Alexander-Walker answered by going 3-for-3 from beyond the arc in a 3 1/2-minute stretch to trim the Cardinals' advantage to 21-18 with 7:38 remaining in the first half.

Louisville exploited the interior to build its lead to 28-20 before Virginia Tech once again closed to within a basket. Steven Enoch, however, calmly sank a 3-pointer from well beyond the arc as time expired to give the Cardinals a 31-26 advantage at the half.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Louisville   Virginia Tech
Ryan McMahon 17 Scoring Kerry Blackshear Jr. 21
Christen Cunningham 6 Assists Wabissa Bede 5
Dwayne Sutton 9 Rebounds Ty Outlaw 7
Ryan McMahon 5 Free Throws Made Kerry Blackshear Jr. 8
Khwan Fore 1 Steals Ahmed Hill 2
Malik Williams 1 Blocks Kerry Blackshear Jr. 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Louisville 72 45.3 13-27 11-12 14 30 1 3 15
Virginia Tech 64 44.4 9-24 15-21 13 24 5 4 13