Career-High Effort From Hansberry Helps Hokies Hang On Over South Carolina

The Hokies outlasted South Carolina in overtime.

Virginia Tech Athletics

Though it struggled at points Tuesday evening, Virginia Tech men's basketball possessed just enough firepower to outlast South Carolina, triumphing over the Gamecocks 86-83 in overtime.

Sandman > Sandstorm pic.twitter.com/oEIkE2JOHu

— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) December 3, 2025

The victory moved the Hokies to 2-0 in games that extend beyond regulation and gave Tech its first Quad 2 win of the season. Virginia Tech is now 1-2 against Quad 1 and Quad 2 opponents, with its lone win coming against South Carolina and its losses to Saint Mary’s and VCU at the Battle 4 Atlantis. The Hokies’ win over Providence (No. 124 in NET) currently sits as a Quad 3 result.

"Thank goodness it's the second day of December" said Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young following the team's victory. "We moved to 7-2 after two really disappointing losses in the Bahamas at Battle 4 Atlantis. Feel good about this one, but man, we need to get back and rest up tomorrow and prepare practice and get better. We got a long way to go."

The Hokies accomplished the victory without several key pieces. Forward Tobi Lawal was out for the third straight game due to a left foot injury. Head coach Mike Young remarked that the forward will be "out a bit", with no concrete timeline, making his status for George Mason unlikely.

Mike Young said #Hokies forward Tobi Lawal will be out a bit. Again, doesn't know how long specifically.

— David Cunningham (@therealdcunna) December 3, 2025

“Could’ve been worse," Young said to Virginia Tech's play-by-play announcer Zach Mackey about Lawal's status. "We don’t know for how long, but for the foreseeable future, he will not be in our lineup.”

Previously, Young had stated after the Saint Mary's loss that Lawal could have played if necessary, but it appears as if the dynamic has shifted. No matter.

In his stead, different contributors stepped up. It came even when numerous Hokies found themselves in foul trouble. Both guards Neoklis Avdalas and Tyler Johnson fouled out, while forward Amani Hansberry and center Antonio Dorn each racked up four fouls, putting themselves dangerously close to disqualification from the contest. But instead, it was guards Ben Hammond and Jaden Schutt who rised to the challenge. Hammon poured in a season-high 16 points, registering a pair of steals. In addition, the sharpshooting Schutt poured in 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting.

But the star of the night was Hansberry. The third-year forward notched a career-high 22 points, a career-high 14-rebounds, a career-high 10 field goals, in addition to three assists and two turnovers. Even still, the Hokies weren't flawless. Hansberry bricked two free throws late in regulation that kept South Carolina within arm's reach and eventually led to South Carolina snagging a brief two-point lead thanks to a tip-in from Mike Sharavjamts.

And briefly, it appeared as if the Gamecocks would have a chance to walk out of Columbia with the game-winning shot, breaking a two-minute-plus scoring streak for both teams. After Avdalas' trey was off the mark, South Carolina guard Kobe Knox corralled the rebound and advanced past midcourt.

However, his drive attempt failed to move his defender, and with the clock winding down, Knox dished it over to Sharavjamts. There was just one problem: There wasn't enough time left on the clock for Sharavjamts to even rise up for the shot. Thus, overtime.

There, the Hokies showed resilience, despite going down at multiple points. Tech took just five shots from the field yet triumphed by a three-point margin. The reason? Free throws. Seven of them, to be precise.

Though Tech struggled to can their shots from the charity stripe consistently, hitting 7-for-12 (58.3%) prior to the overtime period, it knuckled down in overtime, sporting a 7-for-9 (77.8%) mark in the extra period.

Though the Gamecocks again threatened late, with a pair of Knox free throws granting them a slim 79-78 lead, Schutt nailed a triple, followed by two Hammond free throws and a Hammond layup in the paint with just 13 seconds to play.

After Gamecocks guard Meechie Johnson's three-point attempt was no good, Hansberry was fouled. Though his first try at the stripe was off target, the second was on the money, granting the Hokies a three-point lead. Forced to advance the ball past midcourt on the inbound, South Carolina managed a last-gasp try, with forward Elijah Strong catching the ball in stride and rising up from the logo for a solid look and for the potential game-tying shot.

However, it didn't fall, snapping the Hokies' two-game losing streak and moving the team to 7-2, granting them their first non-Lawal victory.

Virginia Tech will next host George Mason at Cassell Coliseum on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 3 p.m. ET, with viewing available on ACC Network Extra.