Dayton transfer Zimi Nwokeji came off the bench and scored a season-high 19 points and Jacksonville overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to beat host Virginia Tech 74-64 on Wednesday night in Blacksburg, Va.
Trailing 39-29 at halftime, the Dolphins (3-2) stepped up the defensive pressure and the result was a 19-5 run to start the second half. Robert McCray’s steal and dunk gave Jacksonville of the Atlantic Sun Conference a 48-44 lead with 13:22 remaining.
The Dolphins completed the comeback with an impressive effort down the stretch that included McCray’s clutch basket in the paint with 34 seconds to go.
Nwokeji made 7 of 13 shots, including four 3-pointers, and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. McCray scored 17 points and dished out a game-high eight assists, Donovan Rivers scored 10 of Jacksonville’s 32 bench points and Kendall Munson chipped in nine points on 4-of-4 shooting.
Mylyjael Poteat had 15 points and eight rebounds for Virginia Tech (3-2), which was looking to bounce back from last Friday’s 22-point, neutral-site loss to Penn State.
Tobi Lawal contributed 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Brandon Rechsteiner (11 points) made three of the Hokies’ six triples and Jaydon Young scored nine points.
Virginia Tech, which lost for the first time at Cassell Coliseum this season, entered Wednesday tied for 301st place in Division I with 15.0 turnovers per game and Jacksonville landed in a tie for 338th (17.0). The Dolphins narrowly won the turnover battle with 14 while turning the Hokies’ 16 miscues into 20 points.
Jacksonville also defeated a power conference school on Dec. 20, 2010, posting a 71-68 overtime win against the Florida Gators of the Southeastern Conference.
Wednesday’s game — the first between Virginia Tech and Jacksonville since 1986 — was part of the upcoming Fort Myers Tip-Off at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Florida. The tournament features on-campus games between teams from the Beach and Palms divisions before moving play to Fort Myers, Fla.
The Dolphins face Mercer in the Palms Division’s second semifinal at 1:30 p.m. on Monday. The Hokies take on Michigan later the same day (6 p.m.) in the Beach Division’s first semifinal.