National Basketball Association
Notre Dame 76, Virginia Tech 71
When: 2:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 14, 2017
Where: Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, Virginia
Officials:
# Jeff Heater, # Bert Smith, # Ted Valentine
Attendance:
9567
By The Sports Xchange
Notre Dame squandered all of a 19-point lead but that just meant the Irish ended up right where they like to be: In a late, close game.
When Virginia Tech rallied to take a 67-66 lead with 1:52 left, the Irish scored six points in 53 seconds and forced three consecutive turnovers en route to a 76-71 victory on Saturday in Blacksburg, Va.
No. 20 Notre Dame (16-2, 5-0 in the ACC) took over sole possession of first place in the ACC and ended a 15-game home winning streak by the Hokies (13-4, 2-3) in Cassell Coliseum. Notre Dame on Thursday snapped Miami's 21-game home winning streak.
The Fighting Irish have won their five conference games by a total of 23 points.
"Here it is again. Late-game situations, we come out and get defensive stops and we make fearless offensive plays," said Notre Dame coach Mike Brey.
"I'm really proud of our group because we exerted a lot of energy Thursday night and to turn this thing around really quick and get this one ... we were playing on fumes."
Guard Steve Vasturia scored 20 points to lead the Irish, but guard Matt Farrell made the play of the game to cap the late 6-0 run.
As Virginia Tech guard Justin Robinson was letting an inbounds pass roll toward mid-court, not wanting to touch the ball and start the clock, Farrell dived for the ball, creating a steal that ended in a layup by guard T.J. Gibbs for a 72-67 lead.
"That dive just summed up the day and who he's been this year and how he sets the tone for us," Brey said. "We have got a really physically and mentally tough group."
Notre Dame became the only undefeated team in ACC play after Florida State lost at North Carolina on Saturday.
Virginia Tech trailed by 19 in the first half and by 14 with 12:49 to go, but climbed all the way back on a three-point play by forward Chris Clarke with 1:52 left.
"We had every opportunity to quit," said Hokies coach Buzz Williams, "and every opportunity to win it."
Clarke collected 21 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Tech guard Seth Allen scored 16, and Robinson added 14.
Farrell scored 14 for Notre Dame, while forward Bonzie Colson had 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Notre Dame, which entered the game as the national leader in free throw shooting (84.1 percent), made only 4 of 8 from the line in the final 28 seconds, but that was enough to hold on for their third road win in ACC play.
"I think that speaks to their toughness, I think it speaks to their coach, I think it speaks to their talent, their discipline," Williams said.
"I vote for (Brey) as coach of the year every year. ... I don't think he gets credit that he deserves as far as developing players. The reason why they are never down is because those guys are getting better."
Notre Dame hit 10 of its first 14 shots, including seven in a row, and went on 17-0 run that resulted in a 33-14 lead before Allen answered with a personal 8-0 run, drilling a pair of 3-pointers and a layup.
The Hokies fought back to get within 39-31 at halftime.
But when it mattered most, Notre Dame came up huge again with a 10-4 run to end the game. The Irish have outscored their five ACC opponents 45-11 in the final 11:09 of combined game time.
"I think they're better than the 20th-ranked team in the country," Williams said.
NOTES: Notre Dame G Steve Vasturia started his 99th consecutive game. He could become the fourth Irish player to start 100 consecutive games when the Irish play at No. 9 Florida State on Wednesday. ... This is the only meeting of the regular season between Notre Dame and Virginia Tech. ... The Hokies finish a three-game homestand Wednesday against Georgia Tech. ... Notre Dame F Bonzie Colson posted his ACC-best 11th double-double of the season. ... Virginia Tech entered the game as the best 3-point shooting team in the ACC but was only 5 of 18 from behind the arc.
Top Game Performances
| Notre Dame |
|
Virginia Tech |
|
Steve Vasturia 20 |
Scoring |
Chris Clarke 21 |
|
Matt Farrell 5 |
Assists |
Chris Clarke 5 |
|
Bonzie Colson 12 |
Rebounds |
Chris Clarke 9 |
|
Bonzie Colson 6 |
Free Throws Made |
Chris Clarke 7 |
|
Matt Farrell 3 |
Steals |
Chris Clarke 2 |
|
V.J. Beachem 2 |
Blocks |
Chris Clarke 2 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Notre Dame
|
76 |
51.9 |
7-18 |
13-20 |
14 |
30 |
4 |
8 |
13 |
| Virginia Tech
|
71 |
49.1 |
5-18 |
10-18 |
12 |
29 |
4 |
4 |
13 |
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