BLACKSBURG, Va. — Trevor Cooney scored 18 points and Rakeem Christmas had 17 as Syracuse held off a frenetic rally by Virginia Tech for a 68-66 victory Saturday in the ACC opener for both teams.
The Orange (10-4) led 42-23 at halftime and seemed poised to win going away against the undermanned Hokies. But Virginia Tech opened the second half on a 21-7 run and closed to within 51-49 with 6:34 remaining before Syracuse scored eight of the next nine points to hold on.
Cooney scored just four points in the second half and Christmas had seven for the Orange.
Justin Bibbs scored 22 points and Devin Wilson had 13 and eight assists for the Hokies (8-6), who got within two in the closing seconds. They had a chance to win when Ron Patterson missed two free throws for the Orange, but Malik Muller’s contested 3-pointer from the left corner was off line as time expired.
Trailing by 19, the Hokies surged out of the locker room after halftime.
Bibbs scored nine points in a 21-7 run to start the half, pulling the Hokies within 49-44 with less than eight minutes to play. As first-year coach Buzz Williams exhorted his team from the sideline, shedding his jacket and then his vest, the fans quickly whipped themselves into upset-thinking frenzy.
A 3-pointer by Malik Muller after a dunk by Christmas at the other end cut the lead to 51-47, and two free throws by Devin Wilson made it 51-49 with 6:34 to go, but after a turnover by the Orange, the Hokies missed on a drive by Wilson and a tip-in, and Roberson hit a baseline jumper at the other end.
Another free throw by Wilson made it 53-50 with 5:30 left, but Roberson’s two free throws sparked an 8-1 run by the Orange, giving them a 61-51 lead with 2:43 to play and they held on for the victory.
The Orange led 15-13 after 6½ minutes before they went on a 20-4 run over the next eight minutes.
Kaleb Joseph started it with a pair of free throws, Christmas scored seven points and Cooney finished the burst with a 3-pointer, giving the Orange a 35-16 lead with 5:41 remaining in the half.
At that point, Syracuse had as many offensive rebounds, 8, as the Hokies had rebounds, and the Orange had made four 3-pointers to the Hokies’ five baskets total. They were dominant in every phase before the intermission.
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