Lynn Kidd supplied 19 points and sank a pair of important free throws with 35 seconds left to help Virginia Tech beat Louisville 75-68 on Sunday in Blacksburg, Va., in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams.
With the Hokies (6-3, 1-0) leading by three, Kidd made it a two-possession game at the charity stripe before Sean Pedulla and MJ Collins combined for four more foul shots down the stretch to put the finishing touches on the victory.
Collins finished with a team-high 20 points and went a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. He entered Sunday 0-for-11 from deep this season.
Brandon Huntley-Hatfield had pulled the Cardinals (4-4, 0-1) within 67-66 with 1:58 remaining when he went 2-for-2 at the free-throw line, but Louisville was never able to get a go-ahead bucket.
Skyy Clark paced the Cardinals with 16 points. Huntley-Hatfield flirted with a double-double, going for 14 points and nine boards. Mike James, Tre White and Ty-Laur Johnson each finished the day with 10 points.
Virginia Tech outshot Louisville 43.6 percent to 40.4 percent from the field.
Kidd had a pair of dunks and a layup as the Hokies went up 38-31 by scoring eight unanswered points to open the second half.
But the Cardinals soon used a 9-2 surge to grab a 44-42 lead. Johnson capped the run with a four-point play with 13:13 left in the game.
Neither team led by more than four until Kidd made a baby hook in the lane to make it 60-55 Virginia Tech with five minutes to go.
Pedulla went to the bench with 4:47 left in the first half after picking up his second foul, and Louisville took advantage of his absence.
The Cardinals had a 7-3 flurry after he left, grabbing a 29-22 lead following a three-point play by Tre White.
Virginia Tech owned the rest of the first half, though, pulling within 31-30 by the break.
Louisville scored 10 of the game’s first 12 points, getting 3-pointers from White and James during the early outburst.
Hunter Cattoor (12 points) later converted a three-point play and canned a trey to fuel a 9-0 run that put the Hokies ahead 15-14 with 9:56 remaining in the first half.
–Field Level Media
