In a thrilling opener of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament held in Charlotte, North Carolina, the California Golden Bears secured a hard-fought victory over Virginia Tech with a final score of 82-73 in double overtime. Forward Andrej Stojakovic led the charge, scoring an impressive 29 points. Meanwhile, his teammates Mady Sissoko and Rytis Petraitis both achieved double-doubles, contributing significantly to the team’s overall performance.
The 15th-seeded California Golden Bears, who now hold a 14-18 record, are set to face off against the 7th-seeded Stanford in the second round. This matchup between past Pac-12 competitors is scheduled for Wednesday. California entered the tournament after a dramatic 112-110 quadruple-overtime loss to Notre Dame observed in their last regular season game over the weekend.
In the second overtime, Sissoko opened strong with consecutive baskets, while Stojakovic closed an 8-0 run that firmly set the Golden Bears’ course for triumph. Stojakovic’s performance included 11 successful shots out of 20 attempts, alongside knocking down three from beyond the arc. Petraitis notched up 16 points accompanied by 10 rebounds, and Sissoko ended the game with 12 points and 10 rebounds. DJ Campbell, despite not scoring a basket, efficiently scored 10 out of 12 free throw attempts.
On the opposite side, Brandon Rechsteiner stood out with 19 points from the bench for the 10th-seeded Virginia Tech Hokies, bringing their record to 13-19. Tobi Lawal contributed with 17 points and 12 rebounds, even as Jaydon Young struggled, missing all 11 of his three-point attempts yet still managing to score 12 points overall.
Virginia Tech showed resilience late in regulation as Rechsteiner sank a critical three-pointer with just 27 seconds to go, briefly giving the Hokies their first lead of the latter half at 60-59, after a string of missed three-point attempts. However, a foul on Campbell, who went on to hit one of two free throws with five seconds remaining, sent the game into overtime.
In the first overtime, the Hokies led by four, only for Petraitis to match it up again with consecutive scores. Stojakovic ensured the game proceeded to a second overtime by hitting two clutch free throws, keeping the score tied at 67.
This encounter marked the first double-overtime game in the initial round of the tournament since Wake Forest edged past Georgia Tech with a scoreline of 114-112 back in 2007.
