Virginia Tech survives Late Miami comeback in Dramatic Fashion

Jackson Didlake

December 29, 2020

BLACKSBURG, Va. – With less than five seconds remaining, Isaiah Wong rimmed out a three, a shot that would have given Miami the lead. Instead, No. 24 Virginia Tech escaped with an 80-78 victory after blowing a nine-point lead with 1:04 left.

“I thought Tyrece [Radford] did a nice job to contest it without fouling,” Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young said. “I exhaled so drastically after that miss that I almost collapsed.”

The Hokies (8-1, 2-0 ACC) gave up seven points in 26 seconds and the lead shrunk from nine to two with 38 seconds remaining. Matt Cross hit a dagger from behind the arc that put Miami (4-3, 0-2 ACC) within four before Wabissa Bede missed his one-and-one free throw to return possession to Miami.

After Nahiem Alleyne drained a pair of free throws to extend Tech’s lead to four, Harlond Beverly answered with a three to cut the difference to one. After the late Wong miss, Justyn Mutts went to the line with two seconds left for the Hokies up two. He missed both shots, but Bede stole the ball after the Miami rebound to end the game.

“We won,” Young said. “Sometimes you take a win and keep moving.”

The wild ending gave Young shades of last year, when the Hokies and Hurricanes went to triple overtime before Virginia Tech fell 102-95. Tech had a lead late in regulation, overtime and double overtime before its eventual defeat at the hands of the Hurricanes behind 27 points from Wong.

This year, the Hokies were able to escape.

Keve Aluma gifted the Hokies a late Christmas gift on Tuesday night – a career-high 26 points. He made 9 of 16 from the field and added six rebounds, four assists and three blocks.

Aluma was one of four Hokies to reach double digits. Mutts recorded 15 points, nine rebounds and three blocks, and Radford had 14 points and nine rebounds. Off the bench, Jalen Cone put up 12 points.

Virginia Tech forced 19 turnovers in the win, giving up 11 turnovers of its own, including nine in the second half.

Wong and Cross led the way for the Hurricanes, both recording 16 points. Wong added five rebounds and three assists. Beverly recorded 14 points and led the team with nine rebounds and six assists. Additionally, Elijah Olaniyi finished with 11 points and three rebounds, and Nysier Brooks added 10 points and six rebounds.

The first half was a close, back-and-forth affair before the Hokies went on a 12-0 run in the final two minutes to lead 42-33 at the break. Aluma was dominant in the first half, scoring 19 of his 26 points, and the Hokies forced 11 turnovers. In the second half, Tech led by as many as 17 points before the Hurricanes cut it to one.

Virginia Tech starts 2-0 in ACC play for the fourth time since joining the conference in 2004. The most recent occurrence was two seasons ago, when the Hokies made a run to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.

Virginia Tech will shift focus to a Saturday rivalry game against No. 23 Virginia. The Hokies will be looking for their first victory over the Cavaliers since early 2018 when they upset then-No. 2 UVa in Charlottesville. Meanwhile, Young (0-4 all-time against Virginia) will be on the hunt for his first win over the Cavaliers.