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BLACKSBURG – Dorenzo Hudson and Malcolm Delaney scored 21 points each to help Virginia Tech snap a three-game losing streak by beating N.C. State 71-59 in an ACC game played on Wednesday night at Cassell Coliseum.
The victory enabled the Hokies to sweep the season series with the Wolfpack. Tech moved to 22-7 overall on the season, 9-6 in the ACC, guaranteeing the Hokies a winning ACC record for the third time in four years. Tech also closed out the regular season with a 15-1 home record – the second-most wins at home by a Tech team (the 1982-83 team went 16-1).
N.C. State fell to 16-14, 4-11 in the league.
“It was just a really good win,” Tech coach Seth Greenberg said. “I thought when we had to, we executed. Early on, we defended well and we executed offensively. This was one we had to have and we found a way to win.”
The Hokies broke open a close game with a 14-2 run to end the first half and took a 31-22 lead at halftime on freshman Manny Atkins’ lay-up at the buzzer. N.C. State hit just one shot the final 4:50 of the first half and turned the ball over four times in that span – part of a 13-turnover first half for the Wolfpack.
The Wolfpack, who saw a modest two-game winning streak snapped, used a 10-0 run to cut the lead to two, 34-32, on two free throws by Javier Gonzalez with 16:17 remaining, but the Hokies responded by scoring the next 11 points, including nine on three 3-pointers by Delaney. N.C. State got no closer than seven the rest of the way.
“It felt good,” Delaney said of his 3-pointers. “I knew I was feeling good and that I needed to hit a couple of shots to get the lead back up, so we could play a little more relaxed and with the lead. We had been trying to put it all together at the end of the game the last couple of games.”
“He [Delaney] felt the pressure that we were bringing and he knew that it was his time to do something,” N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe said. “That’s what great players do. They make it happen and he made it happen in a big way with those 3’s.”
Delaney, the ACC’s leading scorer at 20.4 points per game coming into this one, hit 6 of 12 from the floor and 3 of 6 from beyond the 3-point arc. Hudson went 7-for-14 from the floor and 7-for-9 from the free-throw line. He also dished out four assists.
Jeff Allen added 18 points and nine rebounds for the Hokies, who shot 45.3 percent from the floor and went 20-for-28 from the free-throw line.
Lewis Witcher, the Hokies’ only scholarship senior, was honored as a part of Senior Night ceremonies before the game along with walk-on Paul Debnam. Witcher tied his season high with four points and grabbed a season-high four rebounds in a season-high 21 minutes.
N.C. State hurt itself with 20 turnovers. The Wolfpack got 16 points from Gonzalez and 12 from Tracy Smith.
“We’ve normally been around the 10-12 range and giving ourselves an opportunity,” Lowe said of the turnovers. “But we didn’t do that. You can’t turn the ball over like that against this team. They’re too good and too talented. They’re too tough mentally and they make you pay. We didn’t give ourselves a chance.”
Tech closes out the regular season with a road game at Georgia Tech on Saturday. Tip-off for the game is slated for 4 p.m.
For updates on Virginia Tech men's basketball, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_MBBall).
For updates on the Hokies, follow Jimmy Robertson on Twitter (@jrobIHS).
