McKneely scores 20, Beekman adds 19 and 11 assists; Virginia beats Ga. Tech 75-66

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Isaac McKneely drains a deep 3 for Virginia

Isaac McKneely drains a deep 3 for Virginia.

Updated: Jan 21, 2024, 01:55 am

ATLANTA -- — Issac McKneely hit six 3-pointers and finished with 20 points, Reece Beekman added 19 points and a season-high 11 assists Saturday night to help Virginia beat Georgia Tech 75-66.

Jordan Minor scored 11 points and Ryan Dunn grabbed 10 rebounds to go with nine points and three blocks for Virginia (13-5, 4-3 ACC).

Baye Ndongo hit a jumper that gave Georgia Tech (9-9, 2-5) an eight-point lead with 3:45 left in the first half. Beekman answered with a layup, McKneely hit a pair of 3s, Dunn scored in the lane, and Taine Murray made a layup as time expired to cap a 12-0 spurt that made it 33-29 at halftime. Virginia scored 11 of the first 14 second-half points and led by at least two possessions the rest of the way.

Ndongo made 6 of 7 from the field and scored 15 points for the Yellow Jackets. Naithan George also scored 15 and added nine assists.

Jake Groves made a layup to give Virginia a 15-point lead with about eight minutes to play and Minor's jumper made it 67-53 two minutes later. George and Ndongo each scored four points in a 9-0 run to trim the Yellow Jackets' deficit to five with 1:39 remaining, but Groves answered with a 3 and they got no closer.

Virginia shot 50% (29 of 58) from the field, hit 11 3-pointers and outscored Georgia Tech 34-18 in the paint.

Tafara Gapare, Dallan “Deebo” Coleman and Kyle Sturdivant each hit a 3-pointer before George made a layup in an 11-2 spurt that gave Georgia Tech a 22-11 lead with 9:51 left in the first half.

Virginia plays host to N.C. State on Wednesday. Georgia Tech takes on Pittsburgh at home on Tuesday.

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