Sean Pedulla scored 16 points with five rebounds and four assists to power Virginia Tech to a 70-65 win over Oklahoma State Sunday in the Hall of Fame Invitational at New York.
Justyn Mutts was saddled with four fouls but came off the bench to hit a key hook shot with 47 seconds left. Mutts also made two steals in the final 1:14 that helped the Hokies (10-1) wrap up their fifth straight victory.
Mutts finished with 13 points, four assists and six steals, while Grant Basile added 13 points and five rebounds.
Hunter Cattoor made five of his six free-throw attempts in the final 37 seconds as Virginia Tech continued its good vibes at Brooklyn, where it captured the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament last year.
Avery Anderson III scored all 15 of his points in the second half for Oklahoma State (6-4), while Kalib Boone contributed 15 points, seven rebounds and four blocks for the Cowboys.
Virginia Tech blew an 11-point lead and trailed by five points in the second half before getting it back together. Pedulla keyed the rally as he scored seven of the points in a 9-2 run midway through the half. After that, the Hokies never trailed.
It was a tie game at 60-all when reserve Mylyjael Poteat hit two free throws with 1:59 left to give Virginia Tech the lead for good.
In the first half, Virginia Tech built a double-digit lead at 26-14 with a 14-2 run ignited by a Mutts 3-pointer. Mutts also added a putback and made a steal and feed to Pedulla for a breakaway layup during the spree. Basile closed the run with a 3-pointer.
Oklahoma State battled back behind Boone, who made all five of his shots in the first half while his teammates went a combined 6 of 23 from the floor. A 3-pointer by Woody Newton cut Virginia Tech’s lead to 34-25 at the break.
In a span of 99 seconds early in the second half, Anderson made a trio of 3-pointers for Oklahoma State. He also had a steal and fed Moussa Cisse (12 points, seven rebounds) for a breakaway three-point-play, which completed a 14-1 run that gave the Cowboys the lead.
– Field Level Media
