BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech righted the ship in front of an electric Cassell Coliseum on Saturday night, as it earned its first ACC win of the season over Notre Dame.
The Hokies seemed to be firing on all cylinders in the 79-73 win with four players scoring in double figures, including 20-plus point performances from Justyn Mutts (24) and Nahiem Alleyne (22).
STREAKY
- Virginia Tech extended its win streak against Notre Dame to three games, the longest of the series that dates back to March 25, 1975. A three-game run is tied for the longest active win streak that Tech holds against an ACC opponent (Clemson).
- The Hokies snapped Notre Dame's six-game win streak. With the win, Tech has now snapped two teams' win streaks of four or more games this season (Cornell - 4).
- Tech's win snaps its four-game ACC losing streak. The Hokies' last ACC win came on Feb. 27, 2021 against Wake Forest.
The dynamic duo in the win over Notre Dame was @Nahiem10 @JM_Squarepants for the @HokiesMBB
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) January 16, 2022
46 points | 9 rebounds | 6 assists combined @ACCMBB | #MustSeeACC pic.twitter.com/mMFpWOKoVT
GOT BUCKETS?
- Tech shot a season-high 59.2 percent from the field (29-49). Beyond the arc, the Hokies shot 50 percent (10-20), which is the second-highest number of the year. Saturday's game marked the second time Virginia Tech shot 50 percent or higher in both categories (Cornell).
- Justyn Mutts and Nahiem Alleyne both scored season highs and accounted for 58 percent of Tech's scoring.
- Saturday was the second time two players scored 20-plus points in the same game this season (Aluma and Mutts at Duke). The last time that happened in the same season for Tech was in the 2019-20 campaign (at Wake Forest and vs. Miami).
KEEP BELIEVING
- The Hokies were 0-5 when trailing at the half before Saturday's contest, in which they trailed 40-32 at halftime. Shooting 70 percent from the field and 63 percent from three in the second half spurred on Tech's rally.
- Virginia Tech trailed by 10 with 14:53 remaining in the second half. The last time the Hokies erased a 10-point deficit and won the game was against Virginia on Jan. 30, 2021.
- "First of all, what a great atmosphere," Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey said after the game. "I thought the Virginia Tech crowd kept their team believing the whole time."
You brought IT all night #HokieNation
— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) January 16, 2022
𝙏𝙃𝘼𝙉𝙆 𝙔𝙊𝙐 🤟 pic.twitter.com/BZskyuLAkh