Jailen Bedford had 23 points and four 3-pointers and Virginia Tech took a big step off the NCAA Tournament bubble with a 76-66 win on the road at No. 20 Clemson on Wednesday night.
The Hokies (17-8, 6-6 ACC) shot 52% from the floor and racked up the second-most points Clemson has allowed in ACC play. The Tigers (20-5, 10-2 ACC) lost a four-game winning streak.
Ben Hammond had 19 points and three 3-pointers for Virginia Tech, which made all 13 of its free throw attempts.
Clemson was led by Carter Welling’s 19 points, and Ace Buckner and Nick Davidson each had 16 off the bench.
The Tigers trailed by five after Welling’s three-point play with 2:36 to go, but Bedford had the biggest shot of the game with a three in front of his own bench the next time down the floor.
The first half featured 13 lead changes and eight ties. Clemson took a 15-11 lead on a three by Chase Thompson at the 12:30 mark, but Virginia Tech responded with a 9-3 run and went on a streak of making nine of 10 shots.
Virginia Tech closed the final 2:47 of the half with an 11-2 run that included a three by Bedford and another by Amani Hansberry at the first-half horn.
The Tigers scored five straight to open the second half and continually pulled close, but the Hokies found an answer each time. After a three by Buckner made it 61-56 with 8:10 left, Virginia Tech’s Tobi Lawal sank two free throws and scored on a fast-break dunk.
It was a big win for Virginia Tech after some heartbreaking losses in ACC play. The Hokies lost to Wake Forest by three points, Stanford by one and SMU by one on a half-court heave by Boopie Miller at the buzzer.
