BLACKSBURG – Ty Outlaw scored a season-high 20 points to lead No. 22 Virginia Tech to a 76-68 ACC victory over Georgia Tech at Carilion Clinic Court on Wednesday night.
With the win, the Hokies moved to 19-5 overall, 8-4 in ACC play and snapped a two-game losing streak. They also swept the season series against the Yellow Jackets, beating Georgia Tech for the sixth consecutive time. Georgia Tech fell to 11-14 overall, 3-9 in league play.
Outlaw, who entered the game hitting nearly 50 percent of his 3-point attempts, hit six 3-pointers for the Hokies, who rallied from a three-point halftime deficit. Kerry Blackshear Jr. and Nickeil Alexander-Walker each scored 16 points for the Hokies, while Ahmed Hill added 11.
After hitting just five 3-pointers in winning an ugly game in Atlanta on Jan. 9, Virginia Tech hit 13 in the victory. The Hokies shot just 34.6 percent in the first half (9 of 26), but heated up behind Outlaw and Blackshear in the second half, shooting 59.3 percent (16 of 27).
The Hokies trailed 35-30 early in the second half, but a 3-pointer by Outlaw with 18:04 remaining arguably turned out to be the biggest shot of the game. It started a 17-2 run in which Virginia Tech scored on six of seven possessions to take the lead for good. Georgia Tech missed three shots and turned the ball over twice in that span.
The Yellow Jackets cut the lead to 49-48 on a 3-pointer by Devoe with 8:56 left, but the Hokies answered, with Blackshear converting a three-point play on the ensuing possession. Blackshear later added a free throw and Outlaw hit another big shot, connecting on a 3-pointer in a 7-0 run, and the Hokies never looked back.
Michael Devoe paced the Yellow Jackets with 22 points.
(2/13/2019) 2019 MEN'S BASKETBALL vs. GEORGIA TECH
QUOTES TO NOTE
Virginia Tech head coach Buzz Williams
(On the importance of winning the game with a road game and a game against Virginia coming up)
"Ginormous. I thought today was as big a game as we've played since we've lived here. I guess as a coach you hope that, at Valentine's Day, you're saying those sorts of things. I think this is the fastest we've gotten to 19 wins, and I think this is the fastest we've gotten to eight wins in the ACC. The margin is invisible, and we've got a lot of work to do."
Virginia Tech forward Ty Outlaw
(On playing against a zone defense)
"I love it when they play zone. I can read it a little better than man. To me, it's a little slower pace and because I'm a shooter and some of my teammates are more playmakers than me, I know that I'll be on the receiving end of a lot of plays, so yeah, I do like zones."
Georgia Tech head coach Josh Pastner
(On Kerry Blackshear Jr.)
"I thought Blackshear was the MVP of the game. Eight assists, no turnovers. Did a great job passing the ball. Outlaw was incredible and Blackshear did a great job of finding those guys. It's not always easy against our zone. We're a very good defensive team – very, very good defensively, and Blackshear, like I said, was the MVP for them."
GAME NOTES
• Virginia Tech played without star guard Justin Robinson, who missed his fourth straight game with a foot injury.
• Outlaw scored at least 20 points for just the second time in his career. He has scored in double figures nine times this season.
• Blackshear tied his career high with eight assists.
• The Hokies' 13 3-pointers were their most since hitting 14 in their victory over Syracuse. They have hit at least 10 3-pointers in 14 games this season and are 12-2 in those games.
• Tech finished with 20 assists on 25 field goals (80 percent). That marked the third time this season in which the Hokies assisted on at least 80 percent of their field goals.
• Tech has handed out at least 20 assists in eight games this season – three in ACC games.
• P.J. Horne returned to action after missing six games with an injury. He played eight minutes and had two rebounds.
UP NEXT
The Hokies return to the court Saturday when they take on Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh. Tech has won three straight against the Panthers, including a 66-63 victory in Pittsburgh on Feb. 14, 2017. The game tips off at 4:30 p.m.