No. 14 Florida State rallied from double digits to beat No. 15 Virginia Tech on Tuesday night, 73-64, in overtime at Tallahassee, Fla., to secure the No. 4 seed -- and a double bye -- in next week's Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
Virginia Tech guard Ahmed Hill hit a 3-pointer to tie the game with 11 seconds left in regulation, then Florida State guard Terance Mann missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer as the clock struck zero, sending the game to overtime.
In OT, M.J. Walker drilled a deep 3-pointer with just over a minute left to give the Seminoles a 67-62 lead -- and Florida State never looked back. The win was the Seminoles' 11th in their last 12 games.
Down by double digits for much of the game, the Seminoles (24-6, 12-5 ACC) rallied behind 17 points and eight rebounds from Mfiondu Kabengele and 14 points from Mann. Florida State came into the game holding the ACC tourney's No. 4 seed while the Hokies (22-7, 11-6) were No. 5. But the winner was guaranteed the coveted fourth seed no matter what happened in their final regular-season games.
The ACC tournament kicks off March 12 in Charlotte, N.C. The top four teams with double byes don't have to play until the quarterfinals.
Virginia Tech was led by Nickeil Alexander-Walker with 19 points, followed by Hill with 18 points. Ty Outlaw added 10 points in the loss.
After falling behind by 14 points at halftime, 33-19, Florida State outscored Virginia Tech 22-8 over the first eight minutes of the second half to tie the game at 41-41 with 12 minutes left in the game. The Seminoles grabbed their first lead since the opening minutes one possession later, 44-41, on a 3-pointer from Mann.
Florida State's Phil Cofer and Walker each added 11 points in the win.
Florida State will close out its regular season Saturday at Wake Forest while Virginia Tech ends the season at home Friday against Miami.
Florida State, which owns a 34-22 all-time record against Virginia Tech, has now beaten the Hokies 12 straight times at home. Virginia Tech last won in Tallahassee in 1990, when both teams played in the Metro Conference.
--Field Level Media
Virginia Tech | Florida State | |
Nickeil Alexander-Walker 19 | Scoring | Mfiondu Kabengele 17 |
Kerry Blackshear Jr. 4 | Assists | Trent Forrest 4 |
Ahmed Hill 9 | Rebounds | Mfiondu Kabengele 9 |
Nickeil Alexander-Walker 4 | Free Throws Made | Mfiondu Kabengele 9 |
Wabissa Bede 1 | Steals | Mfiondu Kabengele 2 |
N/A | Blocks | Devin Vassell 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Virginia Tech | 64 | 41.5 | 8-27 | 12-15 | 11 | 37 | 0 | 3 | 14 |
Florida State | 73 | 37.9 | 10-36 | 19-22 | 12 | 31 | 1 | 6 | 7 |