Hot start, late Murphy triples lead Hokies to semifinals

By Sam Alves

Staff Writer

March 10, 2022

BROOKLYN, N.Y. –– Lightning might not strike twice, but Storm Murphy sure does.

Like he did Wednesday night, the Wofford graduate transfer hit a crucial 3-pointer late in the second half. It swirled around the basket once –– then twice –– to push Virginia Tech’s late lead to eight.

Then came the encore.

Murphy lifted off with two seconds on the shot clock. He didn’t shoot it right away, though. Avoiding 6-foot-3 guard Prentiss Hubb’s lunging hand, he double-clutched the ball after stepping back and to his left. Channeling his inner Marcus Paige, he got enough on the shot, draining the dagger in Virginia Tech’s 87-80 win over No. 2 seed Notre Dame.

“I couldn't believe that he double-pumped it,” Tech forward Justyn Mutts said. “I'm standing to the side and he did. I was just surprised that it went in. I'm in awe. It was a great shot.”

The win advances the Hokies (21-12) to the ACC Tournament semifinals for the first time since 2011 and the fourth time in program history.

“It's great,” Tech head coach Mike Young said of what the win means for his program. “Those guys were riding a Big Wheel 11 years ago back in Berlin, Maryland, and New Jersey. I was flopping around down in South Carolina. I wasn't aware of that. It's significant. We're proud.”

Those guys were fifth-year forwards Keve Aluma, who led the team with 20 points, and Justyn Mutts, who racked up his fourth double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds. The front court pair combined for seven assists and just one turnover.

“I've never seen two big guys pass to each other as well as they do,” Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey said.

Aluma wasted no time getting in on the action, scoring on the first possession of the game. He and guard Hunter Cattoor each hit a 3-pointer before the first media timeout, when the Hokies led 12-4.

The Hokies stretched their lead to 16 with 8:49 left in the first half, one which was quite similar to Tech’s opening 20 minutes on Wednesday night.

At the break, the Hokies had the same lead (11 points) plus number of bench points (15) and turnovers (four) as they did in their first game of the tournament. They also started 7-for-7 from the line for the second straight game.

The Hokies forced 10 turnovers before intermission, enough to counter a respectable first half from the Irish.

Prentiss Hubb led all scorers with 13 points in the 20 minutes. Notre Dame shot 9-for-21 (43%), but only two of eight 3-pointers landed. The mark from the field could have been a hair higher, too, but several inside looks just rimmed out.

“We missed some lay-ups –– even after forced drives –– that are just deflating,” Brey said. “And now you're in a hole. Against them, it's too deep to get out of.”

Indeed, the halftime deficit was too steep to overcome in regulation –– unlike Wednesday night’s game –– though the pressure did ratchet up with the Irish trimming the deficit to four with 46 seconds left.

The Irish shot 60% from the field and made 5-of-11 (45%) from deep, but the Hokies kept pace –– and then some –– shooting 67% from the floor, and Murphy knocked in two clutch second-half triples to keep the Irish just at arm’s length.

“Well, he's a winner,” Brey said of Murphy. “He's a big-time winner, and he has led them. He made a big one last night, and when he made the…the double-pump [3-pointer,] that's the nail in the coffin, basically. Then you know –– not tonight for us.

“But he's a fearless, physical, tough, emotional leader, and he makes them go. Very impressed with him.”

And now Tech faces Paige’s former team, North Carolina, who beat the Hokies twice this season.

“I'm ready to play tomorrow right now,” Mutts said of the semifinals, which will be the third game in three days for Tech. “That's how I feel. At this point, I'm just so excited just to even be here and have the opportunity that we have.”