Feb. 14, 2004
By HANK KURZ Jr.
AP Sports Writer
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Todd Billet made a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 2.4 seconds left – his only field goal of the game – and desperate Virginia beat No. 15 Georgia Tech 82-80 on Saturday.
Billet, whose minutes were taken by freshman T.J. Bannister for most of the game, was on the court in the final minute because of his shooting and he got free with the clock running down for the high-arcing shot.
The victory snapped a five-game losing streak for Virginia (13-9, 3-8 Atlantic Coast Conference), and the play of Bannister and fellow freshman J.R. Reynolds again breathed life into a reeling team.
The Yellow Jackets (18-6, 5-5) had one last chance to win, but Will Bynum’s off-balance 3-pointer was well off as time ran out.
Bannister had 15 points and seven assists, including several of the spectacular variety, in taking over at point guard for much of the game. Elton Brown had 21 points for the Cavaliers, while Devin Smith added 16 and Reynolds had all 11 of his in the first half.
B.J. Elder had 14 of his 22 in the second half for Georgia Tech, while Marvin Lewis and 13 and Bynum 12, including a basket with 1:48 left that gave the Yellow Jackets a 78-73 lead.
But Smith hit a 3-pointer from the right side with 1:34 left, Bannister had a three-point play with 1:06 left and Billet connected for the first time in four shots for the game-winner.
The Yellow Jackets hit three 3-pointers in the first 2:04 of the second half, fueling a 12-2 run that gave them a 41-39 lead. The Cavaliers scored the next five points, and Georgia Tech answered with six in a row.
Bannister and Smith started an 11-2 run with consecutive 3-pointers and Derrick Byars finished it with another 3 with 7:44 left, giving the Cavaliers and their whipped-up crowd a 63-59 lead.
But Elder’s fifth 3-pointer immediately sparked a 9-2 reply by the Yellow Jackets, causing Virginia to have to rally one more time.
