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Princeton University
Virginia Tech
Players Mentioned
Men's Hoops Lets it Fly from 3, But Va. Tech Takes NIT Opener in OT
March 17, 2016 | Men's Basketball
| Stat Comparison | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Va. Tech (20-14, 10-8) |
Princeton (22-7, 12-2) |
| Points | 86 | 81 |
| FGM-A | 28-63 | 29-72 |
| FG% | 44.4% | 40.3% |
| 3 FGM-A | 4-17 | 11-39 |
| 3 FG% | 23.5% | 28.2% |
| FTM-A | 26-37 | 12-13 |
| FT% | 70.3% | 92.3% |
| Rebounds | 45 | 36 |
| Assists | 10 | 12 |
| Turnovers | 10 | 11 |
| Blocks | 4 | 4 |
| Steals | 4 | 7 |
| Individual Leaders | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Va. Tech | Princeton |
| Points | Z. LeDay - 29 | S. Cook - 22 |
| Rebounds | Z. LeDay - 11 | S. Weisz - 6 H. Caruso - 6 |
| Assists | 3 tied at 2 | S. Weisz - 3 S. Cook - 3 |
| Steals | S. Allen - 2 | A. Bell - 3 |
| Blocks | Z. LeDay - 3 | 4 tied at 1 |
The first few minutes looked very, very good for the Princeton men's basketball team in the Tigers' NIT opener at Virginia Tech Wednesday night, and although the Tigers rallied to take a late lead and force overtime, Virginia Tech held on for the chance to advance in an 86-81 overtime win.
Princeton scored the game's first nine points but then endured a scoring drought of seven and a half minutes before a Steven Cook bucket made it 17-14 for the Hokies just past the halfway point of the first half.
Princeton was down just four at 30-26 with the chance to effectively hold for the half's final shot, but a Hokie steal and a breakaway dunk gave Virginia Tech momentum that Princeton wasn't able to wrest away until past the midway point of the second half.
After Virginia Tech took a 58-48 lead on a split from the line by Seth Allen, Princeton went on an 8-0 run and neither team was able to get a lead larger than three points for the rest of regulation.
Three points was the Tigers' margin after a Myles Stephens drive to the bucket yielded a goal-tending call, and after a Virginia Tech split from the line, Princeton held a 68-66 lead with the ball and 37 seconds to go.
The Hokies, though, caught a break when a Tiger pass zipped out of bounds, and Virginia Tech took full advantage, sinking a pair of free throws with 32 seconds left to tie it at 68-68.
Still, Princeton had the chance to win. Holding for the last shot, Devin Cannady fired up a 3-pointer that missed, and Alec Brennan's put-back try didn't fall, sending the game to overtime.
Princeton never led in the overtime, and an and-1 chance for Virginia Tech's Zach LeDay put the Hokies up 74-70 with 2:16 to go on a big momentum play that gave the Hokies their then-largest lead of the overtime. From there, Virginia Tech didn't let Princeton back in it when the Tigers forced the Hokies to close it out from the line, finishing off the 86-81 win.