Gbinije Plays Hero In 72-70 Victory

Tuesday, February 3

Syracuse, N.Y.

9:00 p.m.

Syracuse University

(15-7) (6-3)

Virginia Tech

(9-13) (1-8)

Team	1	2	F
Virginia Tech	30	40	70
Syracuse	34	38	72

Photo by: Michael J. Okoniewski

2/3/2015 11:10:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Michael Gbinije scored the final six points for the Orange to seal the win

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Michael Gbinije answered the call to action in the final seconds of play, netting Syracuse's (15-7, 6-3 ACC) final six points including a floater with one second remaining to defeat Virginia Tech (9-13, 1-8 ACC), 72-70. 'Cuse capitalized on Virginia Tech's four turnovers in the final three minutes of play, two of which came in the final 30 seconds.

Orange's Big Three Fuels 'Cuse
Gbinije, Trevor Cooney and Rakeem Christmas accounted for 51 points, 71% of Syracuse's offense, with Gbinije and Cooney netting 18 points each. Christmas finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds to earn his eighth double-double of the season. 'Cuse's center gave Tech trouble at the defensive end, blocking five shots and equaling Gbinije's four steals.

Tyler Roberson fought for six points and 11 boards on the glass to tally his seventh game with 10-or-more rebounds. Ron Patterson gave the Orange a boost off the bench with eight points, four boards and two assists in 23-minutes of action.

Syracuse converted 22 points off of 16 Hokie turnovers and collected 16 points on the fast break. 'Cuse also hassled Tech's offense for 12 steals while Virginia Tech managed to only pick the pockets of the Orange four times.

Trading Blows
After knocking its first bucket of the game just 10-seconds into play, the 'Cuse offense was held quiet for nearly five minutes of action, allowing Virginia Tech to use a 6-0 burst to take a 6-2 lead. Both teams exchanged buckets with neither team able to gain an edge until Syracuse used an 11-5 run to earn the largest lead of the half, 21-14 score.

Tech retaliated, tallying14 of the ensuing 18 points scored to take a 28-25 lead with 2:56 left in the opening stanza. Gbinije sparked the Orange in a 9-2 surge to close the half with a three to begin the run and a three to finish the stretch, cutting Tech's lead to 34-30, at the half.

Gbinije, Christmas and Cooney accounted for 28 of Syracuse's 34 points with Gbinije tallying 10 while Cooney and Christmas each added nine. Virginia Tech benefitted from a lift from its bench as Tech's reserves outscored Syracuse's in the opening half, 20-4.

Strong Seals The Deal
The Hokies came out firing, converting on three straight buckets from beyond the arc to jump out to a 39-34 lead. However, Virginia Tech's defense couldn't hold off 'Cuse for long as its offense retaliated with an 11-4 surge to reclaim the lead, 45-43 with 14:56 left in the contest. Virginia Tech immediately responded to the Syracuse burst, thriving for a 20-5 surge to take a 63-50 advantage with 6:31 remaining.

With time winding down and the Orange facing its largest deficit yet, 'Cuse answered the call to action as it fired off a 16-5 scoring effort to diminish Virginia Tech's lead to two with 1:59 left to play at 68-66.

Tech held 'Cuse at bay until Gbinije emerged with 37 seconds remaining. A layup cut the lead back to two and soon after, Gbinije drove to the basket drawing the foul and netted a pair of free throws to knot the game at 70. With 19-seconds remaining the Hokies had one final chance to avoid overtime, but a backcourt violation turned the ball over to Syracuse. Looking for a game-winner, Gbinije drove to the basket to float the winning basket in with just one tick remaining, giving Syracuse the 72-70 victory.