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Allen's layup carries Hokies past Georgia Tech
Seth Allen and Zach LeDay scored 17 points each in Virginia Tech's 62-61 victory
January 19, 2017
| 1 | 2 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|
 Georgia Tech (11-7, 3-3) | 29 | 32 | 61 |
 Virginia Tech (14-4, 3-3) | 28 | 34 | 62 |
| |||
BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech guard Seth Allen scored the final two of his 17 points on a layup with 15 seconds left to lift the Hokies to a 62-61 victory over Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech Carilion Court on Wednesday night.
The win moved the Hokies 14-4 overall, 3-3 in the ACC. Georgia Tech fell to 11-7 overall, 3-3 in league play.
Allen, who tied his season high, hit 6 of 9 from the floor, including three 3-pointers, but none were bigger than his final basket.
“That’s kind of what you ask for when you’re a senior and it’s your last year,” Allen said. “But my teammates having the trust and belief in me to have the ball in my hands … I just wanted to try and make a play. We had unbelievable spacing, unbelievable guys to make everything happen.”
Zach LeDay added 17 points for Virginia Tech, which led by as many as nine in the second half, but couldn’t put away the Yellow Jackets, who had two chances in the final seconds to take the lead. Georgia Tech turned the ball over with :09 left, and then fouled Virginia Tech’s Justin Robinson, who missed the front end of a one-and-one.
Quinton Stephens then missed a contested jumper at the buzzer that would have won the game for Georgia Tech.
“It’s such a fine line,” Virginia Tech coach Buzz Williams said of winning and losing. “The margin is so thin. Most of our guy know what embrace is. We don’t use the word very often. We just say you have to hug it [the opportunity] … I thought we did a much better job of hugging it tonight.”
The Hokies shot just 40 percent (22 of 55) and turned the ball over 13 times against a Georgia Tech squad that played mostly a zone defense. But Virginia Tech found a way to win down the stretch against a team the Hokies couldn't afford to lose to at home, especially considering the Hokies play six of their next eight games on the road.
“I think we have matured since the Notre Dame game [last Saturday],” Williams said. “[This upcoming week] is a really big week. We play three games in seven days, and two of them are on the road. We have not been the greatest team on the road, so it’s another opportunity for us. We will be forced to have to mature even more if we’re going to have a chance in any of those games.”
Chris Clarke added 11 points for Virginia Tech.
Stephens paced the Yellow Jackets with a game-high 18 points. He hit five 3-pointers.
Virginia Tech closed a three-game home stand and now hits the road for two straight, starting with a game at Clemson on Sunday. The Hokies haven't won there since 2009. The tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m.
For updates on Virginia Tech men's basketball, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_MBBall
