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Blacksburg, VA -- After going scoreless in regulation, Brian Chase scored 7 points in overtime to spark Virginia Tech to an 81-75 overtime win against East Tennessee State.

After regulation ended in a 67-67 tie, Chase hit two three pointers with the shot clock winding down and added a free throw in overtime, scoring 7 of Tech's first 8 points in the extra frame to boost the Hokies to victory.

Tech was led by Carlton Carter's 14 points and 8 rebounds. The 6-11 Carter was playing in his first game since transferring from Colorado last year. He was joined by 6-6 Joe Hamilton and 6-4 Danny Gathings, who also made their Tech debuts. Hamilton scored 9 points and Gathings 4, giving the newcomers 27 total points.

Carter and Hamilton had an immediate impact, leading the Hokies back from an early 15-point deficit to a 38-33 half time lead.

Virginia Tech got off to an awful start in this one, falling behind 19-4 quickly after ETSU hit some three-pointers and also worked the ball inside for easy baskets. Carter responded with a three-pointer, and it was followed by another three-pointer by Hamilton, making it 19-10, and the Hokies were back in it.

Carter scored 11 first half points and Hamilton added 7, sparking the Hokies on a half-ending 34-14 run that led to the lead.

Carter and Hamilton both cooled off in the second half, and the Hokies struggled offensively, going scoreless for over four minutes to open the half and eventually falling behind 45-41.

Carlos Dixon led the Hokies back, hitting two three-pointers in just a couple of minutes. Dixon's first trey tied the ball game at 48, and his second put Tech up 53-50.

The Hokies stretched the lead to 67-62 with 4:15 to go, but turnovers and defensive struggles allowed East Tennessee State to get back into the ball game.

ETSU hit a three-pointer with 58.1 seconds to go to close the gap to 67-65, and then the Hokies turned the ball over on the inbounds pass. The Buccaneers worked the ball inside to Adrian Meeks, who was fouled as he made a layup with 30.5 seconds to go.

Meeks's layup tied it at 67, but he missed the free throw, and Tech rebounded it. After a timeout, Virginia Tech's Chris Exilus drove the lane and got a good look at a 12-foot jumper with under four seconds to go, but he missed it. The teams went to overtime tied at 67.

In the overtime, Chase took over. The Hokies fell behind 69-67, but Chase hit a three-pointer, his first score of the game, with 2:59 to go to put Tech up 70-69. He took the shot with 2 seconds remaining on the shot clock.

Over the next two minutes, Tech made two free throws (one each by Chase and Exilus), and ETSU hit a jumper. As the game went under a minute to play, it was tied 72-72 with the Hokies in possession.

The Hokies worked their offense, and again Chase took a three-pointer with 2 seconds left on the shot clock. Again it went in, and with 46.1 seconds to go, Tech had a 75-72 lead, courtesy of Chase. At that point, he had scored 7 of Tech's first 8 points of the overtime.

Carlos Dixon added two free throws with 15 seconds to go to boost the lead to 77-72. ETSU converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 6 seconds to go to cut the lead to 77-75, but they would get no closer. Dixon added another free throw with 3.3 seconds to go, making it 78-75, and after ETSU threw a lob pass out of bounds untouched, Tech's Bryant Matthews added a three-point play with 2.2 seconds to go for the final margin of 81-75.

The Hokies have now won 9 of their last 10 overtime games. Tech is 4-4 overall with a road game at Mt. St. Mary's Wednesday at 7:30. East Tennessee State fell to 3-6 with the loss.

Key Stats

• The Hokies, who were struggling from the free throw line coming into the game, shot 24-31 (77.4%) from behind the stripe, including 9-10 in the first half. No Hokie shot less than 50% from the line, and Carter and Dixon both went 5-6.
  
• ETSU, on the other hand, shot a horrid 14-27 (51.9%) from the line.
  
• The Hokies outrebounded ETSU 37-29. Coming into the game, the Bucs were average 6 rebounds more per game than their opponents. Three Hokies had 8 rebounds: Carter, Matthews, and Dixon.
  
• Despite having a distinct height advantage, Tech was outscored 40-16 in the paint.
  
• The Hokies shot well from three-point range, hitting 9 of 20 treys (45.%). Six different Hokies hit three-pointers, led by Dixon's total of 3. ETSU didn't do poorly either, hitting 7 of 18 (38.9%).
  
• Tech shot 24-51 (47.1%) from the field. ETSU shot 27-62 (43.5%).
  
• There were 52 fouls in the game, 26 for each team. Carter (32 minutes) and Mibindo Dongo (19 minutes) fouled out for Tech.

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