Virginia Tech basketball: Hokies escape South Carolina with win in ACC/SEC Challenge

In last week’s Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament, the Virginia Tech Hokies lost their first two games of the season. After defeating Colorado State in the quarterfinals of the tournament, the Hokies lost their final two games to Saint Mary’s and VCU. The Hokies were without senior forward Tobi Lawal in both losses with what was called a lower leg injury.

On Tuesday, the Hokies were back in action, this time at South Carolina in the ACC/SEC Challenge. Unfortunately, Lawal was again unavailable. He was on the sideline, but the injury certainly looked worse than many initially thought. Head coach Mike Young did provide an update.

Uh oh. That does not sound encouraging. Back to Lawal in a bit, let’s talk about the game and how the Hokies escaped South Carolina with an 86-83 overtime win over the Gamecocks.

Virginia Tech controlled this game from the start. Outside of SC’s 1-0 lead, the Hokies dominated the first half, leading by as many as 10 points before going into halftime with a 37-34 lead. Junior forward Amani Hansberry was terrific, finishing the first half with 13 points and eight rebounds.

The second half resembled the first half, at least initially. The Gamecocks would make a run, get close, and the Hokies would score enough to keep them at bay. However, foul trouble plagued Tech, as sophomore guard Tyler Johnson fouled out and Hansberry, Neoklis Avdalas and Antonio Dorn faced foul trouble. South Carolina took the lead with around 3:30 remaining, but sophomore guard Ben Hammond drained a 3-pointer to tie it up at 68.

After Hansberry’s bucket with 2:43 remaining to tie the score at 70, no one would score for the rest of regulation. The Gamecocks had a chance at a last-second shot, but guard Meechie Johnson didn’t pay attention to the game clock, and time expired before the Gamecocks could get a shot off.

The game went into overtime, and shortly after scoring the first four points of OT, Avdalas fouled out. Hammond rescued the Hokies, making two shots and two free throws in overtime, propelling VT to a hard-fought 86-83 win.

Hansberry was phenomenal, leading all players with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Hammond scored 16 off the bench, while Avdalas was close to a triple-double with 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Junior guard Jaden Schutt scored 12 off the bench for Virginia Tech.

Tech is back in action on Saturday, hosting 9-0 George Mason at Cassell Coliseum. The Patriots are tough and will be a difficult matchup without Lawal. As far as Lawal is concerned, the best-case scenario is that he misses the remainder of December and returns when ACC play begins against Virginia on New Year’s Eve. Over the next four weeks, the Hokies face George Mason, Western Carolina, Maryland Eastern Shore, and Elon before hosting the Hoos on Dec. 31.

Virginia Tech is now 7-2 on the season.