Virginia Tech routs rival Virginia

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Posted 7:08AM on Wednesday, January 22, 2003

BLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA - Bryant Matthews and his Virginia Tech teammates knew their annual game against Virginia had a lot riding on it, not only for their coach, but possibly also for their prospects this season. Coming off a 92-79 victory against Providence in their best performance of the season, Tuesday night's game was a chance to keep momentum going and possibly make a four-game homestand a season-maker. And for Ricky Stokes, in his fourth season as Virginia Tech's coach, it was another chance to get his first victory against his alma mater. Thanks to Matthews, who scored 22 of his career-high 30 points in the second half, and a defense that held Virginia scoreless for the final 3:22, the Hokies accomplished it all with an emphatic 73-55 victory. ``We're building onto something that we've already established two wins in a row,'' Matthews said after the Hokies ended a six-game losing streak against Virginia. ``We've got to keep on sticking it to people.'' The Hokies (8-8) did it by getting a season-high 16 steals, outscoring the Cavaliers 17-1 from the foul line and with a huge dose of Matthews. He was 12-for-20 from the field with three 3-pointers and a handful of dunks, grabbed nine rebounds and had five steals and two assists. The career-high was also his second in as many games, following a 26-point effort against the Friars, but he said winning was what mattered. ``If I get a career high and we don't win, it means nothing,'' he said. Stokes said that beating Virginia meant no more to him than the victory over Providence or any other team, but his team said otherwise. ``I know it's an emotional victory for him,'' Carlos Dixon said. The Hokies took the lead for good with 9:54 left when Eric Branham made a pair of free throws. Moments later, Matthews fed a streaking Branham for a layup, pushing the lead to 52-48, and the end was nearing. Virginia (10-6), coming off a 1-point loss at Clemson on Saturday, scored only seven points in the final 10:20 and fell to 1-5 on the road. Travis Watson scored 11 and was their only player in double figures. Elton Brown was the only one to attempt free throws. He was 1-for-6. ``They're big. Their size hurt us,'' Virginia coach Pete Gillen said of the Hokies. ``Their long arms, they knocked the ball away a couple of times. Their athleticism and size hurt our smaller guys.'' The Cavaliers' composure, or lack thereof, also hurt, he said. ``I think we got a little bit out of sync, a little bit frustrated,'' he said. ``You can't have 23 turnovers on the road and expect to win.'' With the crowd of 8,152 hooting and roaring with each positive play as the final minutes wore down, Matthews put the finishing touches on the victory with two emphatic two-handed dunks in the final minute. The last came with 2.9 seconds left, and when the clock ran out, hundreds of fans ran onto the court to celebrate with the players. ``I've never seen nothing like it,'' said Dixon, who scored 15.