A big first half lead, a second half rally, and a game that was still in doubt with just five seconds left are all common signs that the Hokies are playing basketball this year. The Hokies entered the contest with Boston College on Saturday, desperately needing a win to avoid falling to 1-3 in the ACC. Although the Hokies struggled in the 2nd half, they found a few points in the final minute to pull out a squeaker, beating the Eagles 63-62.
The game started on a high note with Delaney hitting back-to-back three pointers, igniting the Hokies on an early 8-2 run. The Eagles would battle back to pull within in one just after the under 8 media timeout. However, the rest of the half belonged to the Hokies as Tech would pull away and lead by as much as 14 before skipping into the locker room with a nine point lead.
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The first ten minutes of the 2nd half were brutal for Tech. The stone cold Hokies scored just four points in the first nine minutes and 34 seconds. Despite the poor shooting, Boston College could never bury the Hokies as the Eagles biggest lead in this game was just three points. After Malcolm Delaney drained two free throws to pull within one with just 34 seconds left, Terrell Bell stole the inbounds pass and eventually found Dorenzo Hudson for the game winning layup with just over five seconds left. BC missed their final shot and the game was over.
Stats
Bullet Points
- Jeff Allen continues to struggle in ACC play this year scoring just nine points and grabbing just four rebounds against the Eagles. Allen is averaging just 7.5 points and six rebounds in four ACC games this season
- Malcolm Delaney is slowing earning warrior status as the talented guard out of Baltimore hit the deck hard on an obvious moving screen during BC’s final possession. Malcolm was a little slow getting up but other than a few bruises, he is fine.
- I’m not sure who is going to win the Most Improved Player award this year in the ACC but Dorenzo Hudson has to be a candidate. Zo scored 18 points, which was a team high, and has really become the Hokies number two scoring option. Whats surprising is that Hudson’s scoring has actually approved against ACC competition. He averaged 12.8 points per game against out-of-conference foes but is averaging over 15.5 points in conference.
- The Hokies only played eight players on Saturday, which is a little surprising since BC all but empty their bench. The starters played a combined 173 minutes, an average of 34.6 per player.
- In the Hokies two ACC home games (Miami, BC), the Hokies are shooting 75% from the free throw line. In the Hokies two in conference road games, Tech is shooting just 58% from the charity stripe.
Next up
The Hokies have a tough and very crucial week ahead as Greenberg and crew will travel to UVA on Thursday and then to Miami on Sunday. Both games are winnable and if the Hokies can find a way to win both, they could easily be in the top three in the ACC standings heading into a showdown with UNC in Cassell.
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