NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Posting his second straight double-double, Kerry Blackshear Jr. led the charge in the No. 20/18 Virginia Tech men's basketball team's 67-59 win over Notre Dame at Purcell Pavilion on Saturday.
The redshirt junior recorded a game-high 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting with a game-best 14 rebounds and three assists, racking up his sixth double-double of the season. The Hokies (21-6, 10-5 ACC) were also paced by sophomore Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who joined Blackshear in double figures with 12 points, three rebounds and two assists.
The Fighting Irish (13-14, 3-11) were led by T.J. Gibbs's team-high 18 points and two rebounds.
Blackshear kicked it off with the game's first bucket, hitting a stepback jumper, and then nailing a 3-pointer a few possessions later to give Tech an 11-2 lead. The nine-point lead would get cut to six points, following a layup by the Irish's John Mooney, who leads the ACC in double-doubles and had one tonight (12 points, 10 rebounds).
But the Hokies would stay steady, not allowing it to get less than a two-possession game thanks to freshman Isaiah Wilkins scorig five points in the final minute, giving Tech a 30-23 advantage at half.
Tech would get up by as many as 13 points after a free-throw by sophomore Wabissa Bede with 6:45 remaining. Then Notre Dame began chipping away at the deficit, cutting it to a six-point game with 1:27 left. But the Hokies would hit their free throws, making 11 of 14 (78.6 percent) from the charity stripe the final minute 1/2 to seal it.
QUOTING HEAD COACH BUZZ WILLIAMS
On Kerry Blackshear Jr.'s performance tonight:
"He's just become so integral to literally everything we do on both ends," Williams said. "We tried to protect him for two or three game minutes when he picked up his first foul because of what I just said. When I took him out in the second half, he was just exhausted because he is so important to what we were doing."
On the second-chance points being pivotal:
"As our roster has changed, we categorize guys in one or two ways in rebounding – they're either go-gets or get-backs guys," Williams said. "With the roster change, we have more go-gets playing typically and less get-backs. One way we try to gain possessions is through offensive rebounding, which has never been a forte of ours. I think it's the highest offensive rebounds we've gotten in a game since we've lived in Blacksburg."
NOTES
- Blackshear has been on a tear as of late, scoring at least 20 points in his last three games for the first time in his career. In his last three contests, the Florida native is averaging 24.7 points, 12.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists, while shooting an impressive 71.4 percent from the field.
- With 10 ACC wins, the Hokies have now won exactly 10 league games for the fourth year in a row. The five conference road wins match last year's total, which ties the best mark in the Buzz Williams era.
- The last time Tech had 15-plus offensive rebounds was on Jan. 16, 2016, when it registered 16 against NC State.
- The Hokies have won two straight on the road at Notre Dame for the first time in school history. Last year, Tech won 80-75 for its first win ever in Notre Dame.
STAT OF THE GAME
- The Hokies were a force on the boards, winning the rebounding margin 49-27. The 22-board difference is their best this season in a league game and tied a season high versus North Carolina A&T on Dec. 19.
TWEET OF THE GAME
With a quick step, @HokiesMBB @MED_XIII splits the Notre Dame defenders for the dunk! #MustSeeACC #Hokies #GetBETTER@NewYorkLife #GoodAtLife #ad pic.twitter.com/eq8cL5BWQn
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) February 23, 2019
WHAT IS NEXT
- The Hokies will head back to Blacksburg to face No. 1/1 Duke (23-3, 11-2) on Tuesday, Feb. 26 at Carilion Clinic Court at Cassell Coliseum. The game will tip at 7 p.m. ET and will be a part of ESPN's Super Tuesday, taking place on ESPN.