Zach LeDay had a career-high 29 points and 11 rebounds, helping Virginia Tech beat visiting Princeton 86-81 in overtime Wednesday in the opening round of the National Invitation Tournament at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va.
Jalen Hudson had 28 points and eight rebounds for third-seeded Virginia Tech (20-14), which will play BYU or UAB in the second round. Seth Allen had 10 points.
Steven Cook had 22 points for sixth-seeded Princeton (22-7), and Spencer Weisz had 14 points.
Princeton went up 12-2 on a 3-pointer by Weisz. Virginia Tech stormed back with a 15-0 run to take a 17-12 lead. The Hokies carried a 32-26 lead into halftime.
Virginia Tech went up by 10 points early in the second half and led 57-46 before Princeton began to battle back. The Tigers mounted a 10-1 run to cut the deficit to two and took a 61-60 lead on a 3-pointer by Amir Bell. The Hokies forced overtime after Allen made two free throws with 32 seconds remaining.
Hudson made a 3-pointer to put Virginia Tech up 71-68 early in the extra session, giving the Hokies a lead they would not relinquish.
