In a game that featured 19 ties, 15 lead changes, two overtime periods and a three hour delay due to a broken water main, the Virginia Tech men’s basketball team fell just short to the Maryland Terrapins Saturday night, 104-100.
“It was a heck of a game,” said Tech head coach Seth Greenberg. “It was like a prize fight with punches and counterpunches and teams getting knocked down and getting back up. I can’t fault our kids in any way, shape or form. They couldn’t have played any harder. They couldn’t have been any more resilient. They did a lot of really good things.”
With 15 seconds left in double overtime, Tech was down 100-102 after a missed free throw by Terrapins senior guard Eric Hayes.
After Tech forward Jeff Allen grabbed the rebound, junior guard Malcolm Delaney pushed the ball up court but was forced to pass to freshman Erick Green who missed a three-point attempt with three seconds remaining to seal the game for Maryland.
Despite the miss, Greenberg was happy with the shot by the freshman.
“We wanted to make a play going to the basket, so they stopped the ball,” Greenberg said. “So, you gotta make the right play. He made the right play. Erick had room and rhythm. Erick makes that shot. He makes that shot in practice.”
“He was open,” Delaney said. “We didn’t have options. We didn’t draw a play up. We just went with it.”
Still, Tech had key chances at the free throw line in the second overtime period to win the game. Down 95-97 with 39 seconds left, Delaney missed two free throws which could have tied the game after making his first eight in a row.
“I just missed,” Delaney said.
“He’s human,” Greenberg said. “This isn’t like the Iron Mike that throws pitches in baseball. He’s human. He’s the same guy that got the ball up the court in five seconds and laid it in to extend the game. I thought the guy was really good today.”
Maryland head coach Gary Williams agreed.
“Delaney - if there’s a better guard out there, I don’t know who it is,” Williams said. “He doesn’t get the credit that he deserves for what he’s done for Virginia Tech.”
Even with the loss, Tech played an excellent game and received significant contributions from the five juniors that continue to excel as the season goes on. Delaney led the team with 27 points, Allen picked up 25, Hudson scored 21, JT Thompson contributed 15 and Terrell Bell ended up with 10 points as well.
Prior to the eventual ending, the game featured high drama to end regulation as well as the first overtime.
With Tech down three with 20 seconds remaining and Maryland with possession, Bell got a steal off the Terrapins inbounds pass. The Hokies then called timeout with 18 seconds remaining, and after the inbound pass from Hudson, Thompson hit just his second three-pointer of the season to knot the game at 80.
Then, with six seconds remaining in regulation, Maryland senior guard Greivis Vasquez, who scored 41 points for the Terrapins, drove into the lane and dished to Hayes who drained a jumper to take the lead for Maryland.
Delaney answered immediately, driving the ball all the way up court after the shot by Hayes to get a layup of his own and send the game into overtime.
In the first overtime period, Tech nearly took the game when Bell hit a three-pointer to take the lead 89-87 with 56 seconds left. Tech allowed Maryland to tie it up off two more free throws from Hayes, and the Hokies only made it into the second overtime after a missed jumpshot by Vasquez with five seconds remaining.
The loss to the Terrapins marks the third straight loss for the Hokies, and Tech’s NCAA Tournament hopes will begin to fade if the team does not return to its winning ways.
“I don’t know how they do the tournament,” Delaney said. “That’s for you all to decide – for the media. You know, I don’t know how tough it is for us to get in the tournament now. We just going to keep playing and try to win some more games.”
Even in defeat, Greenberg was pleased with the effort displayed by his team.
“I told them that I was really proud of them,” Greenberg said. “I thought they played their tails off, and we’re a very good basketball team. We lost on one play here or there, and the real test of our character will be on Wednesday…We’ve just got to go out and win the next game. That’s what we’ve got to do. Just go win the next game.”
Tech returns to action on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. against the North Carolina State Wolfpack. The Hokies defeated NC State in Raleigh 72-52 on Feb. 10