Sean Pedulla carries Virginia Tech past Boston College
Jan 23, 2024; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies guard Sean Pedulla (3) shoots the ball against Boston College Eagles guard Jaeden Zackery (3) during the second half at Cassell Coliseum. credits: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports Sean Pedulla scored seven of his 16 points in the final five minutes as Virginia Tech held off Boston College for a 76-71 victory Tuesday in Blacksburg, Va.
Hunter Cattoor contributed 17 points and drilled two free throws with 13 seconds left as the Hokies (12-7, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) snapped a five-game losing streak against the Eagles.
MJ Collins added 11 points and Lynn Kidd scored 10 points to fuel a balanced attack for Virginia Tech, which shot 49.1 percent from the floor and hit 8 of 22 shots (36.4 percent) from beyond the arc.
The Hokies led by 13 points early in the second half before the Eagles surged, twice pulling to within two points in the final five minutes.
Pedulla had the biggest answer with 4:03 left. With the shot clock running out, the junior swished a high-arching shot from well beyond the 3-point line to give the Hokies a 68-63 lead.
Pedulla then made a steal and added a fall-away shot from the paint to increase the Virginia Tech margin to 70-63.
Devin McGlockton tallied 19 points and 10 rebounds while Quinten Post added 15 points and seven boards as Boston College (11-8, 2-6) lost for the fifth time in its last seven games.
Claudell Harris Jr. scored 11 of his 14 points in the second half to spark the Eagles' comeback.
Boston College shot 50 percent from the floor and made 6 of 18 shots (33.3 percent) from deep.
Midway through the first half, Cattoor and Tyler Nickel drained 3-pointers 42 seconds apart to give Virginia Tech a 25-19 lead which it didn't relinquish.
Late in the half, reserve Mylyjael Poteat and Pedulla combined to score all the points in an eight-point run.
Pedulla made a deft feed from the top of the key to Poteat for a double-fisted slam and followed with a fast-break layup as the Hokies matched their biggest lead of the half at 40-27.
Post scored two buckets in the final 1:07 of the half which ended with Virginia Tech up 44-33.
Early in the second half, Boston College went on a 9-2 run fueled by a trey from Post and culminated by a fast-break slam by Armani Mighty, which cut Virginia Tech's lead to 50-46.
From there, it remained close the rest of the way.
—Field Level Media