BROOKLYN, N.Y. – In the quarterfinals of the ACC Men’s Tournament in Brooklyn, New York, Virginia Tech defeated Notre Dame 87-80.
The Hokies started the game with sharpshooting for the second consecutive night, making 5 of their first 6 shots. That effort led to a 12-4 advantage at the first media timeout.
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Sean Pedulla was effective early scoring a team-high 11 points off the bench. As a team, the Hokies were able to connect on 4-of-10 three-pointers in the half and have played disciplined basketball with 4 turnovers.
Prentiss Hubb led the Fighting Irish in first-half points with 13 points as they shot 42 percent from the field. Blake Wesley added 7 points.
In the second half, Notre Dame was able to cut a once 16-point deficit to as little as 7 with a Hubb three-pointer, 23 total points. He and Cormac Ryan each finished in double figures. Dane Goodwin joined the party also hitting a big three-pointer with under 6 minutes to play bringing the score to 69-63.
Nate Laszewski added in 12 points and cut it to 5 at one point. But for every bucket the Irish made, Virginia Tech seemed to have an answer, willing themselves to a quarterfinals victory-- a program first since 2011.
Keve Aluma led the Hokies with 20 points, Justyn Mutts added 11.
Virginia Tech will play in the semifinals on Friday at 9:30 p.m. against the winner of the Virginia-North Carolina matchup.