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In many ways, the Hokies’ season came down to this game. A win would provide a significant boost to their resume, while a loss would give them a mediocre 5-7 conference record.
The first half was played the same way as the first game in Charlottesville between these two teams. The Hokies could get next to nothing going on offense and Virginia diced the Hokies defense up to the tune of 37 points. Virginia Tech found themselves down by 14 at half.
But the Hokies were able to ramp things up in the second half. A series of mini-runs cut the lead down to 7, and a Bibbs three pointer eventually gave the Hokies a two-point cushion. From then on, it was a back-and-forth whirlwind, with neither team able to stretch the lead out until Virginia Tech trailed by 2 with under 30 seconds remaining.
A Seth Allen missed layup forced the Hokies to foul Ty Jerome, who missed the front end of a one-and-one. Buzz Williams did not use a timeout, and Outlaw got the tip-in off another missed lay-in for his first two points of the game, forcing overtime.
The Hokies were down to just 6 players they could rely on, with LeDay fouling out in regulation and Chris Clarke picking up what looked to be an ugly knee injury. Clarke needed help leaving the floor, had some treatment done on him, and was able to return the bench for the remainder of the game. Nevertheless, the Hokies had to show just a little more mettle and toughness than they had in regulation to get the job done.
In the first overtime, we were treated to this off a London Perrantes lay-up. The chances of this happening are beyond astronomical.
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The Hokies then got the ball back and after some thrilling basketball, both teams found themselves in a second OT period for the first time in series history since 1975. Seth Allen, who has been a leader all year for the Hokies, stepped up and hit the game winner. Allen finished the game with 20 points and his second game winner of the season.
The Hokies travel to Pittsburgh on Tuesday night.
What. A. Game.