Associated Press
BLACKSBURG, Va. ó A.D. Vassallo drained four free throws in the final 16.4 seconds of overtime to seal Virginia Tech’s 91-87 win over North Carolina State on Sunday.
The Hokies (15-7, 5-3 ACC) rallied from a late 18-point deficit in the win, which put an end to their six-game losing streak against the Wolfpack (12-9, 2-6). They also moved to 9-1 in ACC overtime games all-time.
“Everyone asks, ‘Do they (the Wolfpack) have your number?’ ” Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg said. “No, but there are certain match-ups that are tougher for us. There are certain match-ups that we have to make decisions on that are tough for us when we have to play them.”
The game marked Virginia Tech’s biggest comeback in an ACC game since joining the league in 2004.
Virginia Tech used strong defense in the final 10 minutes of the second, and rallied to tie the game at 76-all on a short jumper by Vassallo over N.C. State’s Courtney Fells.
The Wolfpack called a timeout to set up a final play, but Ben McCauley lost the ball going up for a contested shot in the post and Vassallo came up with the ball after a wild scramble. Virginia Tech then called timeout with less than one second left, but turned the ball over and sent the game into overtime.
McCauley paced the Wolfpack with 25 points and 15 rebounds, and hit 13 of 15 free throws. It was one point short of his career high.
“I know this, I’m going to be glad that guy’s graduating,” Greenberg joked of McCauley. “He might even get a present from me.”