BLACKSBURG, Va. — Devin Vassell tied an ACC record by shooting 7 for 7 from 3-point range and scored 27 points to lift No. 5 Florida State to a 74-63 victory over Virginia Tech on Saturday.
Vassell helped the Seminoles (18-3, 8-2) rebound from Tuesday night’s loss at Virginia that snapped a 10-game winning streak. Florida State remained a game out of first place in the ACC standings.
The Seminoles led for much of the first half, were ahead 34-29 at the break and held the lead the rest of the way. Florida State grabbed a 60-44 advantage on a free throw by Trent Forrest with 9:25 remaining before the Hokies scored the next nine points. They cut the lead to 60-53 on a dunk by Nahiem Alleyne with 6:23 left, but got no closer.
Tyrece Radford paced the Hokies (14-8, 5-6) with 18 points. Virginia Tech lost its third consecutive game.
Vassell connected on his first six shots from the floor — five 3-pointers — and made 8 of 10 for the game.
BIG PICTURE
Florida State: The Seminoles have all the traits needed to make a deep NCAA Tournament run. They feature a deep roster (10 players scored), have forced more turnovers than any team in the ACC, and possess on underrated star in Vassell, who has scored in double figures in eight consecutive games. He is averaging 17.6 points per game in that span.
Virginia Tech: When the Hokies don’t hit 3-pointers, they struggle, and that happened again Saturday. Virginia Tech made just 7 of 30 from beyond the arc against the Seminoles. In their three-game losing streak, the Hokies are shooting just 30.1% (22 of 73) from 3-point range.
UP NEXT
Florida State: The Seminoles play at home against North Carolina on Monday.
