As he raced down the left side of the floor and against the clock, Virginia guard Andrew Rohde had the opportunity to be forever remembered in Commonwealth Clash history. Trailing by one with six seconds left, Rohde outpaced Virginia Tech’s defense and gave himself a chance to win the bout with a layup for the Cavaliers to complete a come-from-behind effort against their rival. “It felt good,” Rohde said.
“It felt like it was going in.” Virginia’s Andrew Rohde goes up for what would have been the game-winning layup in the final seconds against Virginia Tech at John Paul Jones Arena on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025.
Rohde missed the shot and the Cavaliers lost, 75-74. See more photos at DailyProgress.com .
The attempt rimmed out, though, allowing the Hokies to hold on, 75-74, to beat the Hoos on Saturday in front of a sold-out crowd at John Paul Jones Arena. “You live with that shot,” fellow Cavaliers guard Isaac McKneely said. UVa interim coach Ron Sanchez said the Hoos practice end-of-game situations daily, and that Rohde’s attempt was as good as the Cavaliers could’ve asked for after Hokies forward Mylyjael Poteat missed a pair of free throws on the other end, enabling the Hoos with their last-chance, sprint-up-the-court to try to come away victorious.
“Coach Sanchez told us that if [Poteat] misses and we’re only down one to get downhill, get to the rim,” McKneely said. “[Rohde] did that and I’m living with that shot. I told him to keep his head up.
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