BROOKLYN, N.Y. – With a dominant 72-59 win over North Carolina on Friday night, Virginia Tech clinched its spot in the ACC Tournament championship game for the first time in program history.
Playing its third game in three days, Virginia Tech led for the majority of its semifinal against the Tar Heels. When Hunter Cattoor hit a 3-pointer a little over a minute into the second half, the Hokies assumed a double-digit advantage that they would not relinquish for the rest of the game.
A handful of stats can be highlighted in Friday's win against North Carolina, but the deciding factor was a veteran Virginia Tech side out-hustling its opponent for 40 minutes. Keve Aluma had his work cut out for him against a talented Tar Heel front court, but he put on an 18-point showing that validated his All-ACC recognitions.
Darius Maddox proved that no stage is too big for him in March, leading all scorers with 20 points, including a lights out 4-5 outing from beyond the arc.
Cattoor, Nahiem Alleyne and Justyn Mutts caused havoc all evening on defense, as North Carolina had 11 turnovers that the Hokies turned into 12 points. The crew's defense on the perimeter was noticeably effective with the Tar Heels shooting 11.5% from deep.
How It Happened
Both teams struggled shooting out of the gate, as Virginia Tech and North Carolina combined to miss their first six shots. The Hokies jumped out to a 10-7 lead before missing 11 consecutive shots between 14:15 and 7:17 in the first half. However, solid defense and closing out the half shooting 8-10 from the field allowed Virginia Tech to go into the half with a 32-26 lead. Keve Aluma led all players with 11 points in the opening 20 minutes.
Virginia Tech started tacking on points in the second half almost immediately, going on a 9-0 run, finished off by Mutts' three, to grow the lead to 41-26 with 18:05 to go in the contest. The Tar Heels narrowed the margin somewhat with a 9-0 run of their own in the middle of the half. The lead never got smaller than 11, however, for the Hokies. Tech was able to restore its cushion and see out a 13-point win.
Game Notes
» With the win, Virginia Tech will play for its first ACC Tournament championship in program history on Saturday night
» The Hokies' last conference tournament final came in 1984 in the Metro Conference, falling to No. 17 Memphis 78-65 in Memphis, Tenn. Tech's only conference tournament title in program history is the 1979 Metro Conference championship, defeating Florida State 68-60 in the final.
» Virginia Tech shot 45% from 3-point range, moving the Hokies to 9-1 when achieving that number.
» The Hokies held the Tar Heels to only 36.7% shooting from the field and 11.5% from deep. North Carolina was 0-12 from beyond the arc in the second half.
» Virginia Tech never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» The Virginia Tech bench came alive by adding 30 points to its scoring output.
» Virginia Tech turned the ball over seven times while dishing out 14 assists.
» Darius Maddox led the Hokies with a team-high 20 points and six rebounds.
This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
Gallery: (3-11-2022) MBB: ACC Semifinals vs. North Carolina