Board Meeting: Hokies 77, NC State 69

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In one of the most impressive rebounding displays in recent memory, the Hokies grabbed 19 offensive boards and fought through a second half State rally to earn a 77-69 win in Raleigh Wednesday night. The victory improved Tech's ACC record to 5-3 at the halfway point of conference play, while the Wolfpack fell to 2-6. Tech now sits alone in 4th place in the conference, behind Duke, North Carolina, and Florida State.

After trailing in the early moments 7-3, the Hokies went on a 31-11 run spanning 13 minutes to open up their largest lead of the night at 34-18. Tech utilized 10 offensive rebounds in the run, while holding NC State to just 5-of-18 from the field. The Hokies ended up with 14 offensive rebounds in the first half alone, and went in to halftime holding a 39-26 lead. Tech's defense was also great, holding NC State to just 37 percent shooting in the first 20 minutes.

The Hokies' lead hovered between 11 and 15 for the majority of the second half until the six minute mark when an 11-2 Wolfpack run got State within six at 63-57 at the final media timeout. However, they would get no closer as Tech hit some crucial jumpers and made its free throws en route to the nine-point victory.

Despite missing 39 shots, the Hokies rebounded nearly 49 percent of their misses, leading to 23 second chance points. Tech ended up with almost as many offensive boards (19) as NC State had defensively (22), as the Hokies outrebounded the Pack 46-35. Victor Davila had a career-high 13 rebounds, five on the offensive glass to keep multiple possessions alive. The Hokies also recorded a season-low six turnovers in the game.

The win was a milestone one for two Tech players, Jeff Allen and Malcolm Delaney. Allen recorded his 10th double-double of the season, and third straight, with 15 points and 11 boards. The 15 points pushed the senior forward over 1,500 in his Tech career. Delaney led the Hokies with 22 and passed the 2,000 point mark for his career. The senior guard joins Dale Solomon (2,136), Dell Curry (2,389), and Bimbo Coles (2,484) as the only Hokies to ever surpass the 2,000 point threshold. Delaney also added four assists, becoming just the third Hokie to ever record 500 assists in a career. Jamon Gordon (514) and Bimbo Coles (547) are the two men in front of Delaney.

Erick Green added 13 for the Hokies, who improved to 11-2 with him in the starting lineup, while Terrell Bell poured in 13 on 4-of-8 shooting.

Tech continues its brief two-game road swing with a trip to Boston College on Saturday afternoon. The Eagles have lost three in a row to Florida State, Duke, and North Carolina by an average of 21 ppg. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. and the game will not be televised.