Virginia Tech scored the game’s first 15 points but had to hold on down the stretch to defeat host North Carolina State 62-59 on Wednesday night at Raleigh, N.C.
Justyn Mutts scored 13 points and Keve Aluma added 10 points and 11 rebounds as Virginia Tech (10-7, 2-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) won consecutive league games for the first time this season.
N.C. State had two second-half stretches of more than three minutes without scoring and still had a chance after Dereon Seabron scored consecutive baskets in a 21-second stretch, trimming the hole to 60-57 with 1:15 to play.
Seabron scored again with 20 seconds to go to make it a one-point game before Sean Pedulla sank a pair of free throws for Virginia Tech with 12 seconds remaining. Those were just the third and fourth free-throw attempts of the game for the Hokies, who avenged a loss from earlier in the month.
Both teams called timeouts before Terquavion Smith’s potential tying 3-pointer was off the mark.
Jericole Hellems racked up 15 points, Smith added 14 points and Seabron finished with 13 points for N.C. State (9-10, 2-6). Casey Morsell scored 11 points off the Wolfpack bench.
Smith made half of N.C. State’s eight 3-point baskets, taking 13 attempts.
Virginia Tech built a 15-0 lead while NC State needed more than seven minutes before securing its first points. The margin grew to 19-2.
It was 35-21 at halftime as the Hokies hit 53.3 percent of their first-half shots from the field. Still, Morsell was the game’s top scorer at the break with eight points, nearly outscoring his team’s starters (who combined for nine first-half points). He was 2-for-2 on 3s while the rest of the Wolfpack was a combined 0-for-11 from long range in the first half.
N.C. State closed within 45-41 by the 13:13 mark before the first of those three-minute scoring droughts.
Yet Hellems hit a 3-pointer to draw the Wolfpack within 55-53 with 5:33 left.
N.C. State beat the Hokies 68-63 on Jan. 4 for a road victory.
–Field Level Media