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BLACKSBURG – Tyrece Radford's short jumper with less than a second remaining in the second overtime propelled Virginia Tech to a 79-77 victory in an ACC game played Wednesday night at Carilion Clinic Court.
With the win, Tech moved to 14-5 overall, 5-3 in the ACC. North Carolina lost its fifth in a row and fell to 8-10 overall, 1-6 in league action. The injury-plagued Tar Heels also lost their sixth consecutive ACC game – a first in school history.
Tech trailed the entire second half and trailed 49-37 with less than 14 minutes remaining. But the Hokies gradually climbed back in the game, and they tied things at 60 on P.J. Horne's two free throws with 13.7 seconds left. The Tar Heels had a chance to win the game in regulation, but Garrison Brooks' 14-foot jumper was a little too strong, and the game went into overtime.
In the first overtime, Tech again trailed in the waning moments, but Landers Nolley II scored with 27 seconds left to tie the game at 67. North Carolina again had a chance to win the game, but Leaky Black misfired on a 3-pointer, sending the game into a second overtime.
In the second overtime, Nolley gave the Hokies a 77-73 lead with a layup with 23 seconds remaining. North Carolina answered when Brooks scored with 9 seconds to go, but the Hokies got the last shot and made it count when Radford drove to the middle of the court and made a tough shot over Jeremiah Francis with under a second to go to win the game.
The two points were the only ones of the game for Radford.
Nolley paced the Hokies with 22 points, though he made just 5 of 17 from the floor on an evening when Tech shot just 36.9%. Nolley did connect on 10 of 11 from the free-throw line.
Jalen Cone added 18 points for the Hokies, hitting six 3-pointers and Nahiem Alleyne finished with 11.
Brooks led the Tar Heels with 28 points and 13 rebounds. Justin Pierce added 15.
QUOTES TO NOTE
Virginia Tech guard Tyrece Radford
(On his game-winning shot)
"I just was staying on my toes, staying ready in case anything happened. Luckily, the ball came my way, and I was able to take it off Landers' shoulder and go finish with contact. It was a big moment, and you live for more moments like that."
(On whether he was looking to pass when he started driving to the basket)
"Nah, I knew it was time to go. The time was running down, and we needed a bucket. It was already double overtime. So I just went to the goal. I was focused on finishing through the contact I knew I was going to receive from it. It [the shot] was big."
Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young
(On Radford's big play)
"Tyrece typically plays 30 [minutes], but only played 20 tonight. But when his number was called, he went in for a defensive possession. When he number was called, he was ready. He hadn't checked out mentally. Physically, he was ready to play and got that ball to the basket."
(On whether his team has been growing up playing these close games)
"I hope they're growing up. Their coach is growing older by the game. They're driving me crazy in a great way. They're awesome. They're great to coach. We can say it, and some of it is true. We're 14-5. We've played a lot of ball now. We're not new to this. Jalen Cone, Nahiem, those guys have played a lot of college basketball, and we've seen a number of plays. We will have an opportunity to go back and look at some of this and improve on some things, but not much because we've got Boston College in less than 72 hours. I do think our team is growing in a number of areas, to be frank."
(On his team's ability to come back in games)
"I was really worried about it early on. A sign of a young team is that you get down. You get bat across the kneecaps, and you want to withdraw instead of fighting and hanging in there. But they're coming into their own. That's a great sign of growth, physically and mentally, to the next play. The next play is the only play that matters. NBA – "Next Best Action." Soft teams, weak teams, don't' respond that way. Tough teams do. So yes, I'm really, really proud of that. I do Wabissa [Bede] and P.J. Horne have a lot to do with that response, and their ability to pull people with them in timeouts and on the floor. Look one another in the eye, and "hang in there."
GAME NOTES
• The Hokies have beaten the Tar Heels in back-to-back games for the first since time since beating them in 1917 and 1919.
• The Hokies tied a school record with 37 3-point attempts.
• Tech hit 14 3-pointers, marking the 11th time this season in which it has hit at least 10.
• Tech has committed less than 10 turnovers in four consecutive games and in 11 of 19 games this season.
• Nolley has scored at least 20 points in eight games this season, including three of the past four.
• Nolley's 10 free throws and 11 attempts were career highs.
• Wabissa Bede finished with eight assists and one turnover in 44 minutes. He has handed out at least five assists in 16 of the Hokies' 19 games this season.
• Cone has scored in double figures in five consecutive games and is averaging 15.2 points per game in that span.
• Cone's six 3-pointers were a career high. He's now shooting 56% from beyond the 3-point arc.
UP NEXT
The Hokies now begin arguably their toughest stretch, with road games at Boston College and Miami – their longest road trips of the season. Tech plays the Eagles on Saturday at 2 p.m. before returning home and then traveling to Miami on Monday for a Tuesday evening game against the 'Canes that tips off at 8 p.m.Gallery: (1/22/2020) 2020 MEN'S BASKETBALL vs NORTH CAROLINA