The Virginia Tech Hokies entered Tuesday night's game in desperate need of a win against the Florida State Seminoles. The Hokies have lost three games in a row, and another loss would have put them three games below .500 in ACC play.
The Noles also needed a win after losing three of four games heading into Tuesday night's showdown. Fortunately, Virginia Tech pulled away in the second half with a total team effort and won 83-75.
The first half was a back-and-forth game, with both teams shooting well. The Seminoles shot 60.9 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes, and the Hokies made 6 of 11 3-pointers. One area where Virginia Tech was surprisingly good in the first half was on the glass. VT outscored the Seminoles 18-9 as center Lynn Kidd grabbed an incredible 10 rebounds in 12 minutes in the first half.
Junior point guard Sean Pedulla only attempted three shots in the first half, but got to the free throw line 10 times and made nine of them. The game was tied at 39 points at halftime.
In the second half, Virginia Tech continued to rebound the ball well and, most importantly, make free throws. The Hokies made 28 of 32 from the line, but shot just 40.7 percent from the field. Fortunately, Tech was good attacking from the outside, drilling 11 of 23 attempts from beyond the arc.
With eight minutes left in the game and the Hokies holding a slim lead, officials called Pedula a false foul. It was his fourth time. This was one of the worst foul calls I've seen all season.
The Hokies were persistent on both ends of the floor over the next few minutes, highlighted by sophomore wing Tyler Nickell's efforts to shoot from the outside and drive the ball into the hoop. Nickel finished with 15 points off the bench.
Just when it looked like FSU would pull away with about three minutes left, Pedulla came back. That was all she wrote as Kidd completed a 3-point play and made another free throw for the Hokies to pull away and win.
Kidd had a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds. Pedula scored 19 points on 14-for-16 from the line, and Hunter Kattore led the Hokies with 20 points. Several players played significant minutes for the Tech team, including freshman guard Brandon Rechsteiner and forward John Camden.
The Hokies outscored Florida State 35-23.
Virginia Tech (14-10, 6-7)'s next game is Saturday against No. 7 North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
