'Hokies continue strong play in ACC

CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA - Virginia Tech and Miami entered the Atlantic Coast Conference together, but the two teams were headed in divergent paths Wednesday night.<br> <br> Surging Virginia Tech won for the fifth time in six games, riding a game-high 23 points from Zabian Dowdell and some efficient late-game shooting for a 73-63 win over slumping Miami.<br> <br> ``I thought we were fortunate tonight to come out with the win,&#39;&#39; Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg said. ``I just thought our kids kind of hung in there.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> The Hokies (12-7, 5-3) had won five straight before Sunday&#39;s 100-65 loss at No. 4 Duke, but rebounded with a win over their fellow ACC newcomer.<br> <br> ``We feel good,&#39;&#39; said forward Carlos Dixon, who had 17 points in the win. ``We know we can play in this league.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Meanwhile, the Hurricanes (13-7, 4-5) continue to fall after their fast start in league play, dropping their fourth game in five contests. The loss sends Miami below .500 in the ACC for the first time.<br> <br> ``We were just too laid back,&#39;&#39; said Robert Hite, who led Miami with 17 points. ``It was like we just didn&#39;t want it tonight, and Virginia Tech, they wanted it a little more. That should never happen, especially at home.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> ``They had more energy than us,&#39;&#39; Miami coach Frank Haith said. ``We could never separate ourselves from them. We needed a stop. We never could get that stop. Our execution, I thought, was poor down the stretch.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Miami allowed Virginia Tech to score on 15 of its last 19 possessions, and made two crucial turnovers of its own over the final 1:56. The Hurricanes finished with 15 turnovers to just 9 assists, with 10 of the miscues coming in the second half.<br> <br> ``We finally got stops on the defensive end,&#39;&#39; said Dixon. ``We also executed in our halfcourt set on offense late in the second half.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Virginia Tech connected on 9-of-22 3-point field goals, including 5-of-10 in the second half. Four of those came during a 5:23 stretch that saw the Hokies go from down 45-39 to up 59-52 with 5:11 remaining.<br> <br> ``I thought we had a stretch where we ran a pretty good offense,&#39;&#39; Greenberg said. ``We made some buzzer-type shots. You need to do that sometimes.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Miami pulled to within 63-60 on a Guillermo Diaz layup with 2:42 left, but a turnover led to a layup by Dixon&#39;s and a 65-60 Virginia Tech lead with 1:53 to go. A driving layup by Diaz made it 65-62 at 1:34, but Virginia Tech got two more easy baskets, including a layup by Jamon Gordon off a Will Frisby turnover to push the lead to 69-62 with 0:59 left.<br> <br> Miami missed all four of its field goals in the final minute.<br> <br> ``They made shots down the stretch, and our defense was poor during that time,&#39;&#39; Haith said. ``It&#39;s the first time I thought our execution was not good down the stretch in a tight ball game.&#39;&#39;