Ben Hammond scored 24 points as Virginia Tech hung on for a 76-74 road win over Syracuse on Wednesday.
Tobi Lawal contributed 16 points and 11 rebounds for Virginia Tech (15-5, 4-3 ACC), which overcame 4-of-17 3-point shooting, not to mention 10 missed free throws. Hammond added four rebounds, four assists and six steals for the Hokies, who have won three of four.
JJ Starling had 12 points to pace Syracuse (12-7, 3-3), which has lost two straight following a stretch of six wins in seven games. Donnie Freeman notched 10 points and nine rebounds but shot just 3 of 14 from the floor.
Virginia Tech erased a seven-point halftime deficit, as the teams were tied several times near the midway point of the second half.
The final tie came at 53-all before the Hokies scored six straight points – including five by Hammond – to gain a bit of breathing room.
Virginia Tech’s lead was nine with under a minute left when Tyler Betsey scored six quick points to help bring Syracuse within 70-65 with 45 seconds to play. The Orange then got within 72-69 on Starling’s layup with 23 seconds remaining.
A Virginia Tech turnover gave the Orange a chance to tie, but Nate Kingz’s 3-pointer bounced off the rim. The Hokies gifted the Orange another chance in the waning seconds, as Neoklis Avdalas missed from the foul line with a chance to clinch the game.
However, Lawal snuck in for an offensive rebound and then converted two free throws. That put the Hokies up by five before Naithan George’s 3-pointer at the buzzer narrowed the final margin.
Syracuse held a 15-13 lead before going on an 8-0 run.
The Orange’s lead was 10 before Hammond’s 3-pointer brought Virginia Tech within 37-30 with 1:45 left in the half. Those turned out to be the final points before intermission, as both teams shot 13 of 30 (43.3%) in the first half.
The difference was that Syracuse made 7 of 12 3-pointers in the opening half, while the Hokies were 3 of 9.
