{{pageModel.leagueAbbr}} {{pageModel.subtitle}} | Las Vegas Review-Journal
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Florida State 74, Virginia Tech 68
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, March 9, 2017
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
Officials: # Brian Dorsey, # Bill Covington, # Ted Valentine
Attendance: 17732

NEW YORK -- Even when Florida State went to a smaller lineup, it was too big for Virginia Tech to handle in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament on Thursday at the Barclays Center.

With Florida State's three bigs of Jonathan Isaac (6-10), Christ Koumadje (7-4) and Michael Ojo (7-1) playing sparingly in the second half, the second-seeded and 16th-ranked Seminoles (25-7) controlled the flow with 6-6 guard Terance Mann and 6-7 guard Dwayne Bacon en route to a 74-68 victory over the Hokies.

The Seminoles move into the semifinals, where they face No. 22 Notre Dame. It's the first time Florida State reached the semifinals since its 2012 championship season.

Bacon scored 15 of his team-leading 17 points in the crucial second half and Mann scored all of his 11 points in that half.

Bacon was 4 of 17 from the floor but made 9 of his 10 free throws. Isaac had 11 points and 12 rebounds, but played only two minutes in the second half when Florida State outscored Virginia Tech 41-33.

Zach LeDay led Virginia Tech (22-10) with 22 points and nine rebounds off the bench. With home wins over Duke, Virginia and Miami, the Hokies appear to have a resume worthy of their first NCAA berth since 2007.

The Seminoles had a field day in the post, outscoring the smaller Hokies 40-18 and outrebounding them 45-31. Most of that damage occurred in the first half.

Trying to contend with Florida State's imposing size, depth and quickness finally took its toll on the Hokies midway through the second half. That's when the 6-7 LeDay, the Hokies tallest player of significance, was doing all he could to control the interior against a parade of taller Seminoles before getting called for his fourth foul.

"That's all he (LeDay) knows," Virginia Tech coach Buzz Williams said. "I don't mean that condescending. He doesn't know any different. He's a little taller because of his length than what his height actually says.

"I think it's hard to measure someone's heart, but he plays with incredible fight. For him to do what he's done here over the last two games obviously allowed us to still be here today.

"And not to say that it's not about Zach, but I think per position, pretty much we're always shorter. But I think it speaks to our staff and the work that they've done to make those adjustments and the willingness to the kids to be able to try to execute that."

LeDay went to the bench with Virginia Tech ahead 52-50. That's when the Seminoles immediately assumed control for good, going on runs of 13-0 and 18-1, with Bacon and Mann hitting jumpers and getting out in transition, to grab a 68-53 lead with 4:01 left. At one point, the Hokies went 8:08 without a basket.

"We had intended in our game to be extremely aggressive in terms of taking the ball to the basket, but their (Virginia Tech) schemes and their ability to plug the hole and not give you clear vision of how you can get to the basket was problematic for us," Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton said. "But during that period, I thought we moved the ball a little better, created some wider gaps, and we were able to get in, drive, and got some put-backs, and I thought that really made the difference.

"In fact we were a lot more aggressive during that period because our ball movement was a lot better."

LeDay re-entered with 6:24 to go and Virginia Tech down nine, but it turned out to be too late.

Florida State took its first lead at 39-38 on two free throws from Bacon that ignited a 10-0 run in1:52, enabling the Seminoles to build a 43-38 lead.

Virginia Tech led 35-33 at the break, primarily because of its long-range shooting. With the interior clogged by the Seminoles towering front court, the Hokies knocked down seven of their 15 3-pointers.

Except for 2:32 where the score was tied, the Hokies held the lead.

The Seminoles were overwhelming in the paint in the first half, outscoring the Hokies 18-4 and outrebounding them 20-13.

Florida State turned the ball over six times in the first 10 minutes and trailed 16-8.

NOTES: The 99 points Virginia Tech scored in the second-round victory over Wake Forest were the most for the Hokies in an ACC tournament game. The combined 189 points were the second-most points in a regulation game in the tournament. ... Florida State defeated Virginia Tech 93-78 in their only meeting this season. ... The ACC tournament marks Florida State's second visit to the Barclays Center this season -- the Seminoles played two games there at the NIT Tip-off in November.
Top Game Performances
 
Virginia Tech   Florida State
Zach LeDay 22 Scoring Dwayne Bacon 17
Justin Robinson 6 Assists Xavier Rathan-Mayes 6
Zach LeDay 9 Rebounds Jonathan Isaac 12
Zach LeDay 10 Free Throws Made Dwayne Bacon 9
Seth Allen 2 Steals Dwayne Bacon 3
N/A Blocks Jonathan Isaac 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Virginia Tech 68 38.5 8-25 20-25 14 25 0 3 15
Florida State 74 40.0 3-16 19-23 12 43 6 12 10