A strong start and a double-double from Tobi Lawal helped Virginia Tech earn a 76-66 win over Florida State on Wednesday in Tallahassee, Fla.
Virginia Tech went on a 12-2 run in the first five minutes, building a 20-point halftime lead that never fell below six in the second half.
The Hokies (9-12, 4-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) took advantage of Lawal’s 17 points and 13 rebounds to secure coach Mike Young’s 400th career victory. Young is 101-76 at Virginia Tech after going 299-244 at Wofford.
Virginia Tech led 35-15 at halftime, holding Florida State to just 6-for-28 shooting (21.4 percent), including 0-for-8 from 3-point range.
Jaden Schutt added 16 points, hitting three 3-pointers, helping the Hokies end a three-game losing streak. Jaydon Young also hit three 3-pointers in the first half for nine points, and Mylyjael Poteat scored nine points.
Florida State (13-8, 4-6) lost its third straight game. After struggling in the first half, the Seminoles shot better in the second half, making 19 of 34 shots (55.9 percent), including 8 of 17 (47.1 percent) from 3-point range.
Taylor Bol Bowen led Florida State with 14 points and nine rebounds. Jerry Deng scored 13 points off the bench, and Jamar Watkins added nine points, though he struggled with a 4-for-13 shooting performance.
Florida State briefly tied the game at 2 with a Bowen jumper but then watched Virginia Tech go on a 10-point run to take the lead. Florida State cut it to 12-7 with a jumper from Watkins, but Virginia Tech responded with a 13-4 run, capped by a fastbreak dunk from Ben Burnham.
In the second half, Florida State cut the lead to 49-43 with 8:08 left on a layup from Daquan Davis. However, Virginia Tech answered with 3-pointers from Ben Hammond and Schutt before Lawal’s three-point play pushed the lead to 61-45.
