Virginia Tech knocks Pittsburgh out of first place, 79-72

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Grant Basile posted his fourth straight game with 20 or more points and Virginia Tech knocked Pittsburgh out of first place in the ACC with a 79-72 upset win on Saturday.

Pitt is now 12-4 in ACC play, in third place a full game behind first-place No. 11 Virginia and a half-game behind No. 15 Miami. The Panthers have four games left in the regular season, including a regular season finale at Miami.

Basile scored 13 points in the first half as the Hokies built an 11-point lead at intermission. He finished with 22 points, hitting 4 of 8 from beyond the 3-point arc and leading five Hokies in double-figure scoring.

Pitt came into the game shooting 36% from long range but struggled from distance all game. The Panthers were just 3 of 18 from 3-point range, 2 of 12 in the second half.

Mylyjael Poteat came off the bench to score 15 points and grab six rebounds for Virginia Tech (16-11, 6-10). Justyn Mutts, Sean Pedulla and Hunter Cattoor each added 12 points. The Hokies finished with 17 assists on 25 made baskets and scored 40 of their 79 points in the paint.

Jamariu Burton scored 15 points to lead Pitt (19-8, 12-4). Fede Federiko had 12 points and Nelly Cummings and Greg Ellott each contributed 11.

Virginia Tech, which already owns a 74-68 win over Virginia, plays host to Miami on Tuesday. Pitt plays host to Georgia Tech on Tuesday.

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