CHARLOTTE — With the outcome in the balance in the final seconds, the Virginia Tech men’s basketball team put the ball in the hands of the player, Sean Pedulla, who almost single-handedly brought the Hokies back from a second-half deficit and put them in position for a dramatic win against South Carolina on Friday night at Spectrum Center.
Virginia
Hokies’ miscue in final seconds thwarts comeback against Gamecocks
Pedulla then created space with a pump-fake from behind the three-point arc but elected not to shoot after picking up his dribble. The junior instead attempted to hand the ball off to fellow guard Hunter Cattoor, but Gamecocks guard Jacobi Wright got in the way of the exchange to force a turnover and deal Virginia Tech a 79-77 loss.
Pedulla finished with a game-high 26 points, 22 of which came after halftime, and went 9 of 11 from the free throw line. Cattoor added 13 points but misfired (4 for 12) from the field on a night in which the Hokies (1-1) shot 50 percent overall but could not overcome a 30-23 rebounding disadvantage.
“They were kind of playing a drop coverage against a ball screen,” Pedulla said of the circumstances that led to Virginia Tech’s fifth and final turnover in the finale of the Naismith Hall of Fame College Series tripleheader. “Hunter was also an option, picked up my dribble, kind of took away both options, kind of froze up and turned the ball over.”
Pedulla had connected on five consecutive free throws late in the second half to give Virginia Tech its first lead, 72-69, since early in the game. It didn’t last, however, when Wright beat Cattoor to the basket off the dribble and got a layup to fall while drawing a foul. Wright made the free throw to tie the score at 72 with 3:09 remaining.
Trailing by seven points with 10:52 remaining in the second half, the Hokies had whittled the deficit to 62-59 on two free throws by Tyler Nickel, Pedulla’s layup following a crossover that left his defender flat-footed, two more free throws by Pedulla and Mekhi Long’s two-handed dunk.
The Gamecocks (2-0) turned the ball over on their ensuing possession, leading to a runout for Virginia Tech, but Pedulla’s pass from half court intended for Lynn Kidd sailed over the senior’s head and landed out of bounds. Wright buried a three-pointer for South Carolina not long after to grow the lead to 65-59 with 6:55 to go.
“I think the way we started the second half was kind of how we wanted to start the game,” Pedulla said. “Biggest thing was getting over ball screens fast, and then kind of taking them off their spots, which they were kind of doing to us in the first half, so if we could do that for the whole game, that was kind of our goal.”
Myles Stute led South Carolina with 21 points, and B.J. Mack added 19 points on 9-for-16 shooting with six rebounds.
Virginia Tech was unable to convert on several chances to tie the score early in the second half, including Cattoor missing a three-pointer from the right corner after he made a jumper and Long followed with a driving layup that trimmed the deficit to 49-46 with 13:46 to play.
The Hokies trailed at halftime, 38-31, but had an opportunity to draw within two possessions when Cattoor got a clean look from behind the arc in the final seconds. His attempt, however, clanked off the front rim, contributing to Virginia Tech making just 2 of 14 three-pointers in the first half, when they twice trailed by double figures.
Cattoor is among the few holdovers from last season, when Virginia Tech failed to earn a bid to the NCAA tournament for the first time under Coach Mike Young. This season he is one of three members of the roster playing as graduate student, joining transfers Robbie Beran (Northwestern) and Long (Old Dominion).
The trio also has provided Virginia Tech with a significant boost in playing experience.
“What we were doing offensively was not sharp enough,” Young said. “That coupled with poor shot selection can lead to what you saw and going down seven [at halftime]. Again, Nov. 10, we’ve got a long way to go. I thought we’d play better. I thought we’d find a way to win today. We didn’t, but we’ll get appreciably better as we move along.”