The Virginia Tech men’s basketball team got its first ACC win of the season on Saturday, using a strong second half to come from behind and defeat Notre Dame, 79-73.
The Hokies entered the break down 40-32 with the Irish shooting lights out, but in the second half, Mike Young’s men put together their best half in a while, outscoring the visitors 47-33.
The game was tied 71-71 late, but Justyn Mutts’ clutch dunk with 1:48 to go gave Tech the lead, and they hit their free throws down the stretch. The win moves Tech to 9-7 on the season and 1-4 in conference.
Tech shot 59.2 percent from the field, including 10-20 from deep. Notre Dame led for 32:39 while VT led for just 5:43.
Somehow the Hokies managed to come back on a team that committed just three turnovers the entire game, but it was Notre Dame’s shooting that was just off in the second half as Tech brought the intensity. Notre Dame shot 53.6 percent in the first half but just 37.9 percent in the second half.
Mutts finished the night with a team-high 24 points, while the consistent Keve Aluma had 17 points and seven boards. The difference though was Nahiem Alleyne, who got out of his slump with 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting.
Tech will return to the court on Jan. 19 at NC State. Notre Dame (10-6) face Howard on Monday in a non-conference affair.
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