Cavaliers shut down Hokies in Allen’s absence

Virginia’s Mike Scott has known Virginia Tech’s Jeff Allen for some time — both players attended Hargrave Military Academy.
So when Scott saw the Hokies’ 6-foot-7 forward slumped on the bench in street clothes at John Paul Jones Arena on Wednesday night, he could empathize. Allen was serving a one-game suspension for making an obscene gesture during Tech’s loss to Maryland on Saturday.
“I saw it on his face — I know he was bummed,” Scott said, “but that’s just the way things happen.”
Scott and Virginia didn’t waste any time in taking full advantage of Allen’s absence during their huge 75-61 victory. “It kind of hurt them,” Scott said. “He’s definitely an inside presence.”
Without the burly big fella wreaking havoc on the interior, Tech was forced to play more outside-in than usual. Virginia (9-13, 3-8 ACC) did a great job of making the Hokies beat them from the perimeter.
UVa coach Dave Leitao cited the work of Calvin Baker, Jeff Jones and Sylven Landesberg in putting the clamps on Tech’s leading scorer Malcolm Delaney, who was held to just 11 points on 3 of 13 shooting. He also committed five turnovers.
“We did a good job of taking his space away,” Leitao said.
Meanwhile, Allen’s replacement, J.T. Thompson, started the game strong but didn’t produce much in the second half.
The competitor in Scott “most definitely” wanted to see Allen on the court. However, Scott — who has performed well in his last few games off the bench — was just glad that the Cavs were able to get another win.
“It felt great,” he said. “They beat us twice last year — once at home on a last-second shot. Just to beat them convincingly feels really good.”
Open mic night
In the last four years, microphones (of all things) have been a part of the Virginia-Virginia Tech rivalry.
Virginia fans likely remember the game in Blacksburg during the 2006 season when Tech coach Seth Greenburg grabbed the courtside mic and urged his crowd on. Virginia won the game, 54-49.
On Wednesday, Greenberg said that Leitao’s speech after the team’s previous win over Clemson had likely made for a better homecourt advantage against the Hokies.
Sylven shines (again)
Leitao was hardly surprised by Sylven Landesberg’s stat line on Wednesday: 19 points, nine rebounds, six assists.
“His first game here was 28, eight and eight,” said Leitao, alluding to Landesberg’s debut against VMI. “He has that [well-roundedness] in his game.
“I think what has happened is that he’s realized that he he’s been getting keyed on a whole lot more and has growing confidence in the people around him — that he can make plays and give people the ball…he can make people better as much as he can score.”
Tunji Time
Until the last few games, most Virginia fans had written Tunji Soroye off. Not so fast.
The fifth-year senior was a huge factor in Wednesday’s win, scoring an ACC career-high six points. He also grabbed two rebounds and blocked a shot.
“He’s had a little bit of an awakening,” Leitao said. “He’s had much more pep in his step and has been more aggressive and back to the trusting defender that we had when he’s been healthy. It’s great to see that for him.”