No. 8 seed Georgia Tech took a major step forward in the ACC Tournament on Wednesday, holding off a furious late rally to defeat No. 9 seed Virginia 66-60 in the second round. Led by Duncan Powell’s dominant second-half performance and double-doubles from Baye Ndongo and Naithan George, the Yellow Jackets ended a 13-game losing streak against the Cavaliers and secured a spot in the quarterfinals.
Duncan Powell played a pivotal role in Georgia Tech’s victory, scoring 15 of his 21 points after halftime. His offensive surge helped the Yellow Jackets (17-15) maintain control against a Virginia squad that had dominated the head-to-head matchup since 2016. Powell fueled a critical stretch in the second half, scoring nine straight Georgia Tech points, including a key baseline jumper that pushed the lead to 51-41 with 7:52 remaining.
Ndongo provided a strong presence inside, adding 16 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks, while George flirted with a triple-double, contributing 13 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists.
The Yellow Jackets seemed to have the game in hand, building a 59-46 lead with under three minutes left after Powell’s shot in the lane. However, Virginia (15-17) refused to go down without a fight, led by a heroic effort from Isaac McKneely.
McKneely drilled a deep three-pointer with 46.4 seconds left, cutting the deficit to five. After George missed the front end of a one-and-one, Virginia took advantage of a defensive lapse as Jacob Cofie converted a wide-open dunk to make it 62-57 with 35.7 seconds remaining.
The Cavaliers then turned up the pressure, forcing a turnover on the ensuing inbounds play. McKneely struck again from beyond the arc, pulling Virginia within two points at 62-60 with 33.4 seconds left.
However, George responded at the free-throw line, sinking two crucial shots with 19.1 seconds left to extend the lead to four. On Virginia’s final possession, McKneely had the ball knocked out of his hands on a drive to the basket, allowing Georgia Tech to ice the game with two more free throws from George.
McKneely finished with a game-high 27 points, connecting on seven three-pointers in a valiant effort for the Cavaliers. Despite his hot shooting, Virginia struggled to generate consistent offense, particularly inside the paint, where Georgia Tech’s length and defensive presence proved to be a challenge.
The loss marks a disappointing end to Virginia’s season under interim head coach Ron Sanchez, who embraced Georgia Tech’s Damon Stoudamire at midcourt following the final buzzer.
With the win, Georgia Tech advances to the ACC quarterfinals, where they will face No. 1 seed Duke on Thursday. The Yellow Jackets will look to avenge a lopsided 82-56 loss to the Blue Devils from December, hoping to carry their momentum into a potential Cinderella run in the conference tournament.
For Stoudamire’s squad, the victory over Virginia represents not only a milestone in the program’s resurgence but also a significant confidence boost heading into a daunting challenge against one of the nation’s best teams.
