Tobi Lawal drilled a tie-breaking 3-pointer with 5:43 to play, Mylyjael Poteat dropped in a key layup in the final minute and Virginia Tech survived a second-half California flurry for a 71-68 Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball win Saturday afternoon in Berkeley, Calif.
Jaydon Young led a balanced attack with 14 points for the Hokies (7-9, 2-3), who salvaged one win in two games on their first-ever California trip for ACC contests.
Andrej Stojakovic was the game’s top scorer with 24 points for the Golden Bears (8-8, 1-4), who split home games against the ACC’s Virginia schools after topping Virginia on Wednesday.
Following two days off in California in the wake of a loss at Stanford, the Hokies appeared on their way to an easy win after scoring 15 consecutive points following a 4-0 Cal start. Brandon Rechsteiner had three baskets, including a 3-pointer, in the early burst.
The visitors went on to lead by 19 at halftime and as many as 22 in the second half before seeing it all disappear.
Virginia Tech was up 53-32 at the 13:44 mark before Cal scored 10 straight to get back in the game, then another 12 in a row moments later to draw even at 58-all on a layup by Jeremiah Wilkinson.
Lawal’s big 3-pointer came on Virginia Tech’s ensuing possession, and when Young added two hoops and Poteat a dunk, the visitors were quickly back in charge at 67-58 with 3:41 to go.
Cal wasn’t done. Stojakovic scored six consecutive points to draw the hosts within 67-64 with still 2:12 remaining. But Rytis Petraitis misfired on a potential game-tying 3-pointer with 1:23 to go, setting the stage for Poteat’s layup 25 seconds later that gave the Hokies some breathing room.
Cal had a last-second shot at a tie, but Stojakovic couldn’t connect on a 3-pointer.
Poteat and Rechsteiner finished with 12 points apiece, Tyler Johnson 11 and Lawal eight for the Hokies, who outshot Cal 57.1 percent to 32.4 percent overall and 50.0 percent to 25.9 percent on 3-pointers.
Johnson completed a double-double with a game-high 12 rebounds and Lawal had eight, while Rodney Brown Jr. collected a team-high five assists to go with six points.
Stojakovic’s 24 points gave him three consecutive 20-point games in ACC play. He shot 8-for-20 overall, but just 1-for-6 on 3-pointers.
Wilkinson chipped in with 14 points for Cal, Petraitis had a team-high 10 rebounds and DJ Campbell tied Virginia Tech’s Brown for game-high assist honors with five.
–Field Level Media
