Dorian Finney-Smith tipped in the game winning basket with just under two seconds remaining as Virginia Tech defeated Boston College 66-65 on Sunday night. The Hokies are now 14-11 overall and 3-7 in ACC play. The Eagles dropped to 8-17 and 3-8.
In the first meeting with Boston College, Finney-Smith had no points and eight defensive rebounds in 30 minutes of action. Things were a lot different on Sunday, as he led the team with 17 points and eight rebounds and went 7-of-10 from the field. Finney-Smith had seven offensive rebounds and several putbacks, none more important than the one coming with 1.8 seconds left in the game.
In the previous nine ACC games, Finney-Smith had made just 11 total field goals, so he was much improved on Sunday. He helped Virginia Tech outrebound BC 33-19, and 18 of Tech’s rebounds came on the offensive end. The Hokies had 22 second chance points to BC’s seven, and that was the difference in the game.
Dorenzo Hudson had 11 points for Tech, while Erick Green and Victor Davila added 10 each. Robert Brown had eight points and six rebounds off the bench. The Hokies shot 45% from the field and 40% from three-point range. The only downer as far as shooting goes was a 6-of-10 effort from the free throw line.
Seth Greenberg elected to start the players who had worked the hardest in practice since the Miami loss, and his starters were: Marquis Rankin, Dorenzo Hudson, Erick Green, C.J. Barksdale and Victor Davila. Unfortunately Barksdale was lost to an apparent ankle injury after scoring three points with three rebounds in 12 minutes. The Eagles and the Hokies combined to start seven freshmen. Jarell Eddie, a regular starter for Tech, played just 16 minutes and had only three points.
Known for their close losses earlier in the season, the Hokies have now won two of their last three games by a total of three points. Tech’s last three opponents have each scored exactly 65 points.
The Hokies return to action on Thursday night when they hit the road to face Florida State. Tip-off is scheduled for 7pm, and the game will be televised by ESPN2.
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