WASHINGTON -- Miami guard Angel Rodriguez didn't want his final go-around in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament to end early.
So he amped up his offense in the second half of the quarterfinals to help the No. 11 Hurricanes to an 88-82 victory against Virginia Tech on Thursday night at the Verizon Center.
"I was just out there taking what the defense was giving me," Rodriguez said. "It seemed like they were getting a little confused on ball screens. I was getting open shots and I'm a confident player."
Rodriguez, a senior, finished with 19 points, matching his season high. He played only 11 first-half minutes because of picking up two fouls.
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"I guess I was just excited to be out there," Rodriguez said. "This really could have been my last ACC game."
Guard Sheldon McClellan scored 21 points and Rodriguez led a second-half charge as Miami avenged a loss from less than a week earlier.
"When we played them the last time, they played faster and more confident than us," Miami coach Jim Larranaga said. "The greatest teacher is experience."
Miami made 10 of its first 12 second-half shots from the field to build a 59-44 lead.
Guard Davon Reed's 17 points and center Tonye Jekiri's 11 points helped Miami (25-6). Hurricanes guard Ja'Quan Newton, who missed the previous three games because of a violation of team rules, returned to action and scored 10 points.
The third-seeded Hurricanes take on second-seeded Virginia, which thumped Georgia Tech 72-52 in the evening session's first quarterfinal, in Friday's semifinals.
Guard Seth Allen led sixth-seeded Virginia Tech (19-14), which had a six-game winning streak snapped, with 31 points. Allen was 17 of 18 on free throws.
"One thing I'm a little concerned about is that we're in the top 15 in the country in not fouling," Larranaga said.
Guard Jalen Hudson and forward Zach LeDay chipped in with 12 points apiece for the Hokies.
Rodriguez, who had only two first-half points, scored 11 of Miami's first 16 points of the second half. His 3-pointer followed by a steal and layup propelled the Hurricanes to a 49-38 edge.
"When Angel sees his opportunities, he's going to take advantage of it," Larranaga said.
Rodriguez had only five points in Saturday's loss at Virginia Tech.
Six of Miami's eight 3-point baskets came in the second half.
"I thought that was the change," Virginia Tech coach Buzz Williams said. "(After halftime) they started great offensively and we started poor offensively."
Miami hit a glitch when Jekiri fouled out because of a technical foul with5:10 to play and the Hurricanes leading by 12. That came less than two minutes after Jekiri fouled Allen on a 3-point attempt.
Virginia Tech shot 51.7 percent from the field in the second half, but was outscored 55-50.
"I do think that our team has improved and we've played incredibly hard and we've tried to play the right way," Williams said. "There's just a thin margin. We're not the only team that is trying to get better."
Miami opened a 10-point lead in the first half, but the Hurricanes were up only 33-32 at the break because Virginia Tech scored 11 of the last 13 points.
The Hokies scored their final four points of the half on free throws. Miami took only two foul shots in the half.
Miami shot 55.6 percent in the first half, but had only one offensive rebound on its 12 misses.
Virginia Tech was kept in check from long range, making one of four 3-point attempts in the opening half.
NOTES: The teams met Saturday at Blacksburg, Va., with Virginia Tech winning 77-62 and denying the Hurricanes a share of the regular-season title. Miami won the first meeting of the season 65-49 on Feb. 17 at home. ... Virginia Tech's six-game winning streak prior to Thursday matched the Hokies' longest streak against conference competition since eight in a row in 1965 in the Southern Conference. ... Miami tied a school record with 24 regular-season victories. ... Virginia Tech's 96 points Wednesday against Florida State were the most recorded by the Hokies in an ACC tournament game. ... Miami lost in both previous appearances at the Verizon Center, falling to Virginia in the first round of the 2005 ACC tournament and to Marquette in the 2013 NCAA Sweet 16.
