Caleb Love had 21 points and seven assists, and North Carolina beat Virginia Tech 65 to 57 on Saturday. This snapped the Hokies’ six game winning streak.
Armando Bacot scored 12 points and had 15 rebounds. He also blocked five shots. This was his 20th season double-double. RJ Davis added 10 points for North Carolina (19-8 Atlantic Coast Conference), while Brady Manek had 14 and RJ Davies had 10. The Hokies were defeated by 10 on January 24, and have won four consecutive games over Virginia Tech.
Keve Aluma had 16 points and nine rebounds, while Justyn Mutts scored 10 points for the Hokies (16-11; 8-8).
The game featured the ACC’s two top 3-point percentage teams, with Virginia Tech at 49% and UNC at 38.1%. UNC finished just a few percentage points below its average, having made 8 of 22. However, the Hokies were not far behind with 5 of 26 for 19%.
Bacot had two buckets, Love one, and Love had a third. Love also scored a 3-pointer during a 7-2 spurt that opened the second half. This gave Love a 14 point lead. After a 7-0 run, the Hokies pulled within five. Aluma scored a 3-pointer in under nine minutes but couldn’t make it closer.
Love scored six free throws in overtime to keep the Hokies away.
Tar Heels Love, Davis, and Manek each scored 10 points to lead UNC to an impressive 38-30 halftime lead. Leaky Black scored five points, while Love and Davis combined for the rest of the points in a 22-8 halftime run.
UNC hosts Louisville on Monday. Georgia Tech hosts Virginia Tech on Wednesday.
