Hokie ClubSAN JUAN, P.R. – Virginia Tech lost to Seton Hall, 77-73, in the final round of the 2008 O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip Off in San Juan on Sunday. Tech falls to 3-2 overall and the Pirates are now 4-1 overall.
The Hokies jumped out to a 31-17 lead with eight minutes remaining before intermission, but Seton Hall used pressure defense to cut the margin to 40-34 at the half. After the teams opened the second half trading baskets, the Pirates went on a 13-1 run to take the lead, 52-46 with 11:51 remaining. Tech reclaimed the lead at the 8:47 mark on a jumper by Malcolm Delaney, but SHU scored the next seven points and never trailed again.
Delaney led the Hokies with a career-high 25 points, to go along with five assists and two blocked shots, while A.D. Vassallo added 22 points and nine rebounds. Jeff Allen recorded his second consecutive double-double with 17 points and a career-high 17 rebounds.
Jeremy Hazell led the Pirates with 23 points, while Robert Mitchell added 15 points and Paul Gause had 14 points. Tech out rebounded the Pirates, 43-34, but turned the ball over 14 times, compared to just nine for SHU. The Hokies also managed just 19 of 32 from the line, while the Pirates were 23-32 from the charity stripe.
A.D. Vassallo, making his first trip home to his native Puerto Rico was named to the all tournament team. Tech returns to action on Wednesday night, as they host Elon in Cassell Coliseum at 7 p.m.