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A Grand Farewell: FSU rallies for OT win against Hokies on Senior Night

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Box Score: FSU 73, Virginia Tech 64 (OT)

It was such a special Senior Night for Florida State that the No. 14 Seminoles apparently needed an extra five minutes to savor it.

After letting No. 15 Virginia Tech tie the game with a 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation, Florida State blew the Hokies away in overtime Tuesday night to record a 73-64 victory.

With the win, the Seminoles improved to 24-6 overall and 12-5 in ACC play, while Virginia Tech fell to 22-7, 11-6.

The victory assured the Seminoles of the No. 4 seed and a double-bye in the ACC Tournament. The Hokies will be the No. 5 seed.

The win not only was special because it came on a night when the Seminoles honored five graduating seniors -- Terance Mann, Phil Cofer, Christ Koumadje, P.J. Savoy and David Nichols -- but because they had to overcome a 14-point halftime deficit to do it.

The Hokies dominated the Seminoles in the first half, taking a 33-19 lead into the break. FSU seemed to have no answer for Virginia Tech's defense early, missing 19 of its first 26 shots from the field. The 'Noles connected on just 3 of 16 3-pointers before intermission.

But the start of the second half was a different story, as FSU turned up the heat at both ends of the floor and eventually tied the game at 41-41 with about 12 minutes left. FSU then took a 44-41 advantage on a 3-pointer by Mann.

FSU had a shot to win the game in regulation when Mann hit two free throws with 27.4 seconds left to give the Seminoles a 61-58 advantage. But Virginia Tech guard Ahmed Hill drilled a 3-pointer with two defenders in his face to tie it with eight seconds remaining.

Florida State's decisive run in overtime started with a sweet pass in the lane from junior guard Trent Forrest to Cofer. The result was a layup and a 64-62 advantage.

Then with just over a minute left, MJ Walker drilled a 3-pointer from the right wing to make it 67-62. The Seminoles would end up outscoring the Hokies in overtime by a margin of 12-3.

In his final home game, Mann scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds. Sophomore Mfiondu Kabengele led the 'Noles with 17 points and nine boards. Cofer and Walker each had 11 points.

FSU will wrap up the regular season this Saturday at Wake Forest.

Stay connected with Warchant.com for more on this story.

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