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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Terance Mann hit a wild off-balance runner with 1.8 seconds left in overtime to help No. 12 Florida State beat No. 16 Virginia Tech 65-63 on Thursday in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament quarterfinals.
Mann's shot from the right side rattled around the rim before dropping through the net to break a tie for the fourth-seeded Seminoles (26-6). The fifth-seeded Hokies (24-8) had a final chance, but Nickeil Alexander-Walker missed a long desperation 3-pointer at the horn.
Devin Vassell scored 14 points to lead the Seminoles, including a contested 3-pointer with 4.5 seconds left in regulation to force overtime.
Alexander-Walker finished with 21 points for the Hokies, including a 3 that bounced up off the front rim and dropped through the net for a 63-60 lead with 1:40 left in OT.
It marked the second straight week that Florida State beat Virginia Tech in overtime.
BIG PICTURE
Virginia Tech: The Hokies have been grinding through games without injured point guard Justin Robinson (foot) since late January. The Hokies fought their way to win six wins in their final 10 regular-season games, then beat Miami in Wednesday's second round to advance. They just couldn't protect that final lead, with FSU's Phil Cofer hitting a tying 3 then Alexander-Walker missing a contested drive with about 10 seconds left to set up Mann's basket going the other way.
Florida State: The Seminoles arrived in Charlotte as one of the hottest teams in the country, winning 12 of 13 games to secure a double-round bye into the quarterfinals. They found a wild way to add to that streak, with Vassell, Cofer and Mann knocking down huge shots to earn the win.
UP NEXT
Virginia Tech: The Hokies will wait for Selection Sunday to find out their NCAA Tournament destination.
Florida State: The Seminoles advanced to Friday's semifinals to face second-ranked and top-seeded Virginia, which beat eighth-seeded North Carolina State earlier Thursday.
NOTES
No 4 seed Florida State (26-6) advances to face top-seeded Virginia (29-2) in Friday’s 7 p.m. semifinal game … The Cavaliers downed the Seminoles 65-52 in the lone regular-season meeting between the teams on Jan. 5 in Charlottesville.
Florida State improves to 18-26 all-time in the ACC Tournament and to 5-16 in quarterfinal games
Virginia Tech (24-8) slipped to 10-15 in ACC Tournament play and to 3-7 in the quarterfinals.
The Seminoles defeated the Hokies in overtime for the second time in a span of just over a week after claiming a 73-64 OT decision in Tallahassee on March 5 in a game that clinched FSU’s No. 4 seed and double-bye in this year’s ACC Tournament.
It marked only the fourth time that two teams that played to overtime in the regular season did so again in that season’s ACC Tournament … The nine-day span between the two overtime games involving the Hokies and Seminoles is the shortest span ever between OT games in any ACC series.
Florida State is now 4-0 this season in overtime games and has won seven consecutive OT games dating back to last season … The regular-season loss to the Seminoles was Virginia Tech’s only overtime game this season prior to Thursday.
The game was the first overtime contest for Virginia Tech in the ACC Tournament and the third for Florida State – but the first since 2002, when the Seminoles defeated Clemson 91-84 in the opening round … FSU also edged Clemson by an 87-85 score in OT in the 1999 tournament’s opening round.
Devin Vassell led Virginia Tech with 14 points, including the game-tying 3-pointer with just over four seconds remaining in regulation.
Terance Mann’s game-winning pull-up jumper with 1.8 seconds remaining in overtime gave the FSU senior 10 points on the day and made him a double-figure scorer for the 16th time this season.
Florida State shot 12-for-31 from 3-point range as a team while limiting Virginia Tech to a 4-for-19 effort … The Hokies, who entered the game second in the ACC in 3-point shooting percentage and averaging a league-leading 9.8 made 3s per game, missed their first 12 attempts from beyond the arc before connecting on four of their final seven attempts in regulation and OT.
Virginia Tech’s Nickeil Alexander-Walker led all scorers with 21 points … It marked the sophomore’s 11th time this season with 20 or more points and his second time in the last three games … Alexander-Walker has reached double figures in each of his last seven games.
Alexander-Walker (21), Kerry Blackshear Jr. (17) and Ahmed Hill (16) combined for 54 of the Hokies’ 63 points.