Hokie ClubNOTRE DAME, Ind. — Tobi Lawal had 15 points with 10 rebounds, Brandon Rechsteiner made seven free throws in the final minute and Virginia Tech rallied to defeat Notre Dame 65-63 on Saturday inside Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center.
A dunk on an offensive rebound by Lawal gave Virginia Tech a 55-54 lead with 3:06 remaining. It was the Hokies' first lead since Lawal's dunk for a 2-0 lead. Ben Burnham added a 3-pointer for the Hokies a minute later for a 58-54 lead.
With 32 seconds left, Rechsteiner made one free throw and missed the second, but Jaden Schutt grabbed the offensive rebound. Rechsteiner was fouled with 27 seconds left and made both free throws for a 61-56 lead. He made four more free throws in the next 23 seconds, the last two for a 65-61 lead with four seconds remaining. Notre Dame's Cole Certa had a tip-in at the buzzer for the final score.
The Fighting Irish, who led by seven points at halftime, made only six baskets in the first 19 minutes of the second half and finished the half 8 for 28.
Marcus Burton scored 23 points for Notre Dame (10-13, 4-8) and Tae Davis had 18.
Rechsteiner finished with 12 points and Burnham added 10, both off the bench for the Hokies (11-13, 6-7 ACC).
Notre Dame built an 18-6 lead, but the Fighting Irish made only two shots in the next six minutes and their lead was down to 25-23. Burton scored six of Notre Dame's eight points in the final three minutes of the half and the Fighting Irish led 33-26 at the break.
The Hokies return home to host Virginia on Saturday at 2 p.m. for the Smithfield Commonwealth Clash.