Hokies’ run in the ACC tournament ends vs. N.C. State

Virginia Tech falls 97-77 to N.C. State Wednesday night to end the Hokies’ run in the ACC men’s basketball tournament.

The loss drops the Hokies’ record to 19-14 overall and likely finishes off any hopes they had for a bid to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

Tech will now wait until Sunday night to learn if it will receive a bid to the National Invitational Tournament.

Hokiesports.com

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Virginia Tech fell in the second round of the ACC Tournament on Wednesday with a 97-77 defeat to sixth-seeded NC State.

Virginia Tech struggled to get stops in the first half, as NC State shot 63.6% from the field and 53.8% from beyond the arc. Terquavion Smith led all scorers heading into the break with 19 points. Along with Tech’s defensive struggles, the Hokies couldn’t get much going on the other end of the floor – shooting 32.0% from the floor and 1-8 from deep.

NC State closed the first half on a 17-2 run.

The Hokies picked up the pace on offense in the second half, shooting 62.1% in the second frame. However, NC State’s hot hand continued, as well, and the Wolfpack secured a 97-77 victory.

Virginia Tech’s Rodney Rice led the way in scoring with a career-high 17 points.

How It Happened

Virginia Tech struggled out of the gate, falling behind 53-26 heading into halftime.

Virginia Tech narrowed its deficit to 89-65 before going on a 5-0 run, finished off by Rice’s three, to shrink the deficit to 89-70 with 3:47 to go in the contest. NC State responded and outscored the Hokies the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 97-77. Virginia Tech shot well from three-point range in the half, hitting eight shots from deep to score 24 of its 51 points.