NICEVILLE, Fla. — A trio of Virginia Tech newcomers came up big during the second half and overtime as the Hokies defeated UAB, 82-77, in the third-place game at the Emerald Coast Classic Saturday at Raiders Arena on the campus of Northwest Florida State College.
Junior guard Seth Allen, who transferred from Maryland, led Virginia Tech (4-2) with 23 points. With the score tied at 73 in overtime, he hit a three-point basket to put the Hokies in the lead for good.
Virginia Tech junior forward Zach LeDay had his fifth double-double in six games with 15 points and 10 rebounds. The South Florida transfer had four points in overtime to put the game out of reach.
Freshman Chris Clarke had his second double-double of the season with 10 points and a tournament record 16 rebounds. With two players in double figures in rebounds, the Hokies had a commanding 46-30 advantage on the boards.
Virginia Tech trailed by eight points midway through the first half before steadily chipping away. The second half and overtime featured nine ties and five lead changes.
Both sides used 10 players but Virginia Tech’s bench had a commanding 40-16 advantage. The Hokies hit 4 of 6 shots from the field in overtime while UAB struggled, going 1 for 7.
Guard Nick Norton was one of four Blazers in double figures with 17 points, including five 3-pointers. His driving layup with 37.1 seconds remaining in regulation gave UAB a 71-69 lead before a pair of LeDay free throws sent the game into overtime.
Robert Brown and Hakeem Baxter scored 16 apiece for UAB (3-3) while Chris Cokley had 12 points and eight rebounds.
