Jahlil Okafor made his return to the court, and fourth-ranked Duke needed every one of the star freshman's season- best 30 points to pull out a 91-86 overtime victory over upset-minded Virginia Tech.
The Blue Devils were able to roll past Clemson on Saturday with Okafor sitting out due to a sprained left ankle, but had a surprisingly much harder time putting away a determined Hokies team that entered this matchup 2-12 in ACC play, even with the national Player of the Year candidate going 13-of-18 from the field and grabbing nine rebounds.
Virginia Tech (10-18, 2-13 ACC) was able to force extra time behind a 12-of-22 success rate from 3-point range, with the Blue Devils aiding the cause by hitting just 11 of its 22 free-throw tries.
Duke (25-3, 12-3) still managed to earn its eighth straight win on the strength of big performances from Okafor and Quinn Cook, who buried 6-of-11 shots from beyond the arc in a 26-point effort.
Jalen Hudson stepped up big for the Hokies, tallying a career-high 23 points. Adam Smith finished with 15 points in the tough loss, with Devin Wilson recording 10 points and 11 assists for Virginia Tech.
[SportsNetwork.com]
