Virginia Tech’s late comeback bid falls short at Florida State
Jaylan Gainey scored nine of his 11 points in the second half, Primo Spears also scored 11, including two free throws with 1.2 seconds left, and Florida State beat Virginia Tech 77-74 Saturday in Tallahassee.
Jamir Watkins and Darin Green Jr. each added 10 points for Florida State (8-6, 2-1). Watkins made just 3 of 14 from the field, but finished with eight rebounds and four assists. Baba Miller fouled out with 10 rebounds to go with eight points, five assists and three of the Seminoles’ eight steals.
Watkins made a layup to give Florida State a 10-point lead with 2:19 to play, but Tyler Nickel made two free throws eight seconds later and Hunter Cattoor added two more. Jalen Warley made 1 of 2 from the foul line to make it 74-67 with 1:27 to go, but Pedulla made a quick layup and, after a turnover by Spears, hit a 3-pointer with 59 seconds left. He made two free throws to make it 74-all with five seconds remaining. Spears hit the go-ahead free throws and the Seminoles held on.
Pedulla led Virginia Tech (9-5, 1-2) with 26 points. Cattoor made 5 of 6 from 3-point range and finished with 19 points and MJ Collins scored 10.
Gainey converted a threepoint play, Spears made a layup and Warley added a putback, but missed the and-1 free throw. Miller grabbed the offensive rebound and Watkins threw down a dunk with 9:38 to play that gave the Seminoles a 50-48 lead, their first since midway through the first half. Miller stole the ball and was fouled as he scored, but didn’t make the free throw. Cam Corhen converted a three-point play to cap a 14-0 run and make it 55-48 with 8:33 to go.
Virginia Tech took its biggest lead when Cattoor hit a 3-pointer to make it 41-32 with 15:53 to play. The Hokies committed a turnover on each of their next three possessions and had seven in the next seven minutes as Florida State took control.
Virginia Tech plays host to No. 16 Clemson on Wednesday. Florida State wraps up a string of eight consecutive home games when Wake Forest visits on Tuesday.
No. 8 North Carolina 65, No. 16 Clemson 55:
RJ Davis had 14 points while Armando Bacot had 14 points and 16 rebounds for the visiting Tar Heels (11-3), who have started 3-0 in the ACC for the first time in eight years.
The Tigers made just one of their 18 3-point tries.
Davis came into the game Saturday as the ACC’s leading scorer at 21.2 points a game. While he struggled to find his shot against the Tigers (11-3, 1-2), the senior stepped up in time for the Tar Heels. Bacot posted his 54th career double-double and helped hold Tigers top scorer PJ Hall to 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting.
Chase Hunter had 17 points to lead Clemson.
Wake Forest 86, Miami 82 (OT):
Kevin Miller hit a 3-pointer to give Wake Forest (11-3, 3-0) the lead in overtime, then sealed the victory over the Hurricanes (11-3, 2-1) with a pair of free throws in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
With the game tied at 78, Andrew Carr missed a jumper for Wake, but Efton Reid III batted the offensive rebound toward the top of the key. Miller stretched high to snare the pass, settled and stroked a deep 3-pointer for the lead with 1:38 left. Norchad Omier hit a pair of free throws to get the Hurricanes within a point, but Hunter Sallis knocked down a 3 with 25 seconds remaining to push the lead to 84-80.
Freshman Kyshawn George had 21 points and eight rebounds to lead Miami.
Pittsburgh 83, Louisville 70:
Blake Hinson scored 21 points, Zack Austin added 20 and Pitt (10-5, 1-3) earned a road victory. Freshman Carlton Carrington added 16 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Panthers.
Mike James led Louisville (5-9, 0-3) with 23 points,
Boston College 95, Georgia Tech 87:
Devin McGlockton scored a career-high 30 points, and Boston College (10-4, 1-2) rallied from a 16-point deficit in the second half and beat Georgia Tech (8-6, 1-2) for its first ACC win to snap a five-game losing streak against the Yellow Jackets.
Kowacie Reeves Jr. hit a 3-pointer to open the second half to give the Yellow Jackets their largest lead of the game at 54-38. Boston College cut the deficit to six before using a 17-3 run for a 74-66 advantage with 7:07 remaining. Georgia Tech answered with a 13-2 surge for its last lead, 79-76, with 4:12 left.