Virginia Tech collapsed down the stretch in a 69-68 loss to Stanford (13-3), behind 31 points and the game-winning three from Freshman guard Ebuka Okorie.
That’s the second consecutive game Virginia Tech (12-4) has lost on a clutch triple.
With 3:36 remaining, Neoklis Avdalas got all the way to the cup to put the Hokies up 65-52. From there, it was all Stanford.
The Cardinal, who went just 6-for-23 from long range over the first 37 minutes, went unconscious from long range. They drained four of their last five triples, beginning with Benny Gealer from the right wing with 2:35 remaining.
The following possession, Okorie denied a screen to get by Jailen Bedford and finished an and-one with his right hand.
Okorie scored less than 30 seconds later, going coast to coast off of an Avdalas turnover, this time getting to his left hand for an acrobatic finish. This layup cut the Hokies lead to seven with 1:40 to go.
Looking for the dagger, Avdalas missed a step-back triple allowing Okorie to once again push it up the floor and kick it out to Cameron Grant for a corner triple. Tobi Lawal, in his return after a month-long absence, flew out and managed to get a hand on the triple. Bedford dove out of bounds and saved the ball to the worst possible spot, setting up Okorie for a wide-open triple which he drained.
The Hokies drained the clock and Avdalas had to settle for a well-contested fade away at the end of the shot clock. He came up short, and Okorie once again pushed the ball up the floor, this time finding a wide-open Donavin Young, who was trailing the play. Young potted the triple and suddenly, Virginia Tech’s lead dwindled to just 67-66 with just 28 seconds left.
After spending 12 seconds going for a steal, the Cardinal fouled Avdalas, who went just 1-for-2 from the stripe.
Trailing by two points, Okorie had no intentions of taking the game into overtime. Without even looking to take it to the hoop, Okorie got the Avdalas switch and stepped into a deep triple which he drilled to give Stanford a 69-68 lead with three seconds remaining.
Oskar Giltay stole the inbounds pass to seal an unbelievable comeback for the Cardinal and a devastating loss for the Hokies.
“Disappointed with our lack of poise, disappointed with a couple of offensive possessions we had (down the stretch),” said Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young.
Late-game struggles are a recent problem for this Hokie team that remains 4-0 in overtime games, but are suddenly on a two-game skid in games they’ve led in the final minutes.
Okorie had just five points at halftime, but completely took over the second half, scoring or assisting on 37 of Stanford’s last 40 points. Bedford did an excellent job chasing him around, but picked up his third foul and subbed out beginning the late-game takeover. Okorie now has three 30 point games - more than any other player in the ACC.
The Hokies were led by Avdalas, who finished with 21 points and three assists on 7-for-15 shooting. He dominated much of the game, using his size to enter the post and score on the interior or in the mid-range. However, he struggled mightily down the stretch, missing multiple shots, shortarming a late free throw and throwing the ball away on a crucial offensive possession.
Avdalas needs to find his early-season form when it comes to ball security. He was No. 13 in the ACC in assist/turnover ratio just a week ago. Since then, he has 10 assists and 10 turnovers.
Despite the loss, Ben Hammond once again turned it up in the second half, scoring 14 of Tech’s last 24 points.
Amani Hansberry and Christian Gurdak were impressive on the glass, grabbing 20 combined rebounds and helping the Hokies win the rebounding battle 36-31. Hansberry added 11 points, tallying his fourth consecutive double double.
Lawal made a couple of plays defensively, flashing his signature athleticism, but was limited to just 18 minutes in his return to the floor.
It can’t be understated how devastating that loss is for Virginia Tech. It was the better team for nearly 38 minutes, but wound up losing a must win game with a complete collapse in the final 160 seconds.
The Hokies were on the right-side of the bubble. With two straight losses, they may have played themselves out of the tournament, and put themselves in a position where they have to steal some difficult games on the road (and certainly take care of business at home, which they didn’t tonight).
Every game for the rest of the season matters, and Virginia Tech fully enters must win territory for its matchup against California in Cassell Coliseum on Saturday.
