TALLAHASSE, Fla. – With 14 seconds left in regulation, Ahmed Hill made a 3-pointer from the left wing to send the game into overtime, but the No. 15 Virginia Tech men's basketball team fell short at No. 14 Florida State, 73-64, on Tuesday night at Donald L. Tucker Civic Center.
Tech (22-7, 11-6 ACC) got up big early on, but the Seminoles (24-6, 12-5) went on a crucial second-half run to close it and outlast the Hokies in overtime to earn a double bye in the New York Life ACC Tournament with the No. 4 seed.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker tallied a team-high 19 points while Hill posted 18 points to lead the Hokies on the offensive end.
Tech started off hot from downtown, hitting five 3-pointers in the opening eight minutes of play. It would gain a double-digit lead at the 8:59 mark, following a triple from Hill. It also would play stout defense, forcing a shot-clock violation and many FSU possessions that would go deep into the shot clock.
The Hokies would get a bucket in the paint by Alexander-Walker with a little over a minute left, gaining a 14-point advantage at halftime, 33-19. Tech was 18-1 when having a halftime lead coming into tonight.
Coming out of the locker room on a tear, the Seminoles opened the second half on a 12-2 run, cutting it to a four-point game at 35-31. But the Hokies answered, scoring a quick four points from Alexander-Walker on a layup and Wabissa Bede on a long jumper.
Tech would keep its lead around a two-possession game until the 'Noles went on another run to trim the deficit to one at the 12:30 mark, causing a Tech timeout.
Terance Mann pump faked a pass and nailed a 3-pointer with 11:23 remaining, giving Florida State its first lead of the game. It would extend its lead to five before a mid-range jumper by Bede and a corner 3 from Alexander-Walker tied it up with a little over eight minutes to go.
Kerry Blackshear Jr. would come back into the game at the 6:59 mark after sitting out over five minutes of action due to picking up his fourth foul earlier on, but would get his fifth with 4:34 remaining.
Trailing by three points with under 30 ticks left, Hill hit a contested shot from deep to tie it up and the Hokies got a stop to extend the game another five minutes.
But those five minutes were all 'Noles, as they outscored Tech 12-3 to keep the best home-court advantage in a high-major conference the last three years afloat, with only losing three home games during that span to improve their record to 49-3.
QUOTING HEAD COACH BUZZ WILLIAMS
On Tech's defense playing so well in the first half and Florida State making plays in the second:
"I thought to start the second half for sure, they were able to get it to the paint much more effectively," Tech coach Buzz Williams said. "I think that bled into the second media timeout, as well. We were a little discombobulated because of them on both ends of the floor. We didn't get to the paint enough and we allowed them to the paint, which ended up creating rotation for us and led to fouls."
On having the chance for a double bye and coming away empty handed in consecutive years:
"I know you know what we were when we got here, so I think it's pretty remarkable that in Year 4 we would play for the fourth seed in the best league in the country," Williams said. "And then considering all that's transpired this season to have played the way that we've played over the last nine games, it's scarred my heart in a good way."
NOTES
- For the first time since Nov. 27, 2018, versus Penn State, the Hokies did not win after leading at halftime. Tonight also marked Tech's first overtime game of the season.
- Tech outshot the Seminoles by four percent, shooting 42 percent compared to FSU's 38 percent from the field, while each team made 22 field-goal attempts.
- Alexander-Walker got back to his offensive ways, scoring 18 or more points for the first time since Jan. 30. The sophomore made seven shots from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 mark from the charity stripe.
- Hill, who made three 3-pointers, tied a career-high nine rebounds, including two offensive.
- Alexander-Walker, Bede and Ty Outlaw all set career highs for minutes played.
WHAT IS NEXT
- The Hokies will head back to Blacksburg to face Miami (Fla.) (13-16, 5-12) on Friday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The game will be Tech's final home contest of the season with Senior Day taking place.
