Hokies DROP FIFTH STRAIGHT IN OVERTIME THRILLER VERSUS BOSTON COLLEGE

Wyatt Krueger

February 8, 2020

BLACKSBURG, VA. - The Virginia Tech Hokies suffered their fifth loss in a row on Saturday to the Boston College Eagles by a score of 77-73.

Virginia Tech (14-10, 5-8) got out to an early 12-point-lead thanks to offensive firepower from freshmen Nahiem Alleyne, Jalen Cone and Tyrece Radford.

The Eagles (12-12, 6-7), however, were able to climb back into the game by drawing nine first half fouls and hitting timely threes.

The Hokies shot 53% from the field as a team in the first half, and thanks to a late scoring run from redshirt freshman Landers Nolley, Virginia Tech went into the locker room up 38-33.

Halfway through the second half, Boston College went on a 12-0 run to take the lead for the first time since the 16-minute mark in the first half. The Eagles’ run was sparked by their decision to switch to zone on defense in the second half.

The adjustment forced some offensive movement issues for the Hokies, though Tech responded with an 8-0 run, led by Landers Nolley. The redshirt freshman’s open court dunk with nine minutes left got the Cassell Coliseum crowd going late. Nolley shined throughout the game, filling the stat sheet with 29 points and 11 rebounds on 12-22 shooting.

Despite Nolley’s performance, Boston College’s Steffon Mitchell was the game’s main storyline. The junior from Shakopee, Minnesota created a huge mismatch problem for the Hokies, posting 21 points, 15 rebounds and six assists in 43 minutes.

“He was active, and he was hard-nosed,” Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young said.

The game tightened up down the stretch, with Alleyne getting an opportunity to force overtime at the free throw line with four seconds remaining. The freshman calmly drilled them both, finishing with 16 points and five rebounds on the day.

In overtime, Boston College pulled away thanks to Mitchell’s offensive rebounding and last-minute free throws.

In a game that featured nine lead changes and came down to the wire, Young reminded Hokie fans and his team to keep perspective.

“It’s athletics, it’s not comfortable,” Young said. “We’ve just got to hang in there, we’re going to get better.”

Virginia Tech now has a week to rest before taking on Pitt next Saturday. As for the Eagles, they head to Miami to take on the Hurricanes on Wednesday.