Virginia Tech suffered a tough overtime loss at the hands of NC State, falling 90-86 in Raleigh on Saturday afternoon. The Hokies lost their eighth consecutive game, dropping to 11-14 overall and 2-10 in the ACC. NC State improved to 18-7 and 7-5.
The Hokies trailed by 67-60 with just 3:45 remaining in regulation, and the Wolfpack were on a 14-0 run. A Will Johnston three-pointer got Tech back in it, and this one saw a lot of drama in the final moments of regulation. Jarell Eddie hit a three-pointer with just under 10 seconds left to cut NC State's lead to 77-75, and Scott Wood missed one of two free throws on the other end and Tech got the ball back with 8.1 seconds remaining.
The Wolfpack elected to foul Erick Green, who hit his first free throw to cut the lead to 78-76 with just over five seconds left in the game. The Hokies drew up a play for Green to miss the second free throw intentionally, with Jarell Eddie cutting to the basket from outside the three-point line to collect the offensive rebound. The plan worked perfect. Green's intentional miss hit the rim perfectly, and Eddie knifed through for the rebound and putback, which forced overtime.
Eddie hit two three-pointers early in the overtime period, and the Hokies led by a point twice. However, NC State eventually reclaimed the lead, but Tech still had one last chance. Trailing 87-84 with 17 seconds left, Erick Green made a crossover dribble at the three-point line, but he dribbled the ball off his foot and the Wolfpack came away with the steal, effectively ending Tech's chances at victory.
Green finished with 29 points, eight assists, three rebounds and two steals. He was 11-of-24 from the field. He got some help in this game from freshman forward Marshall Wood, who had career highs in points (14) and rebounds (16). Wood was 4-of-9 from three-point range, and also had a short shot from in close. He played 31 minutes, with starter C.J. Barksdale only on the court for 10 minutes. Barksdale finished with two points and one rebounds.
Will Johnston started this game and finished with six points and two rebounds. Jarell Eddie came off the bench and scored 17 points, with most of them being clutch shots late in the game. However, Eddie also made several bad decisions with the ball in his hands at critical moments. It was good to see him get his shot back (7-of-13 from the field, 3-of-5 from three-point range), but his decision making ability is still a work in progress.
Cadarian Raines had six points and nine rebounds for the Hokies. Tech outrebounded a very tough NC State team 42-39.
The Hokies return to action on Thursday night when they host Duke in Blacksburg. Tipoff is scheduled for 9pm, and the game will be televised by ESPN.
Box Score