Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech set a Cassell Coliseum record by holding the University of Maryland, Baltimore County to just 34 points en route to an easy 71-34 non-conference victory over the Retrievers on Tuesday night at Cassell.
The win marked Tech’s seven straight – the Hokies’ longest winning streak since 1996. Tech moved to 10-1 overall, while UMBC fell to 1-10.
The 34 points allowed marked the fewest Tech has allowed at Cassell Coliseum since the venue opened in 1961 and the fewest in a home game since beating Washington & Lee 105-24 in 1959. The output marked the fewest allowed in any game by the Hokies since giving up 32 points in a 50-32 victory at Fordham in 1997.
“I don’t want to take anything away from UMBC,” Tech coach Seth Greenberg said. “They’ve scored points on other people. But they’re not Duke. They’re not North Carolina, or N.C. State or Wake. But to give up 34 points, that’s good.”
The Hokies used Malcolm Delaney’s early scoring to jump out to a 14-0 lead from the onset, with Delaney scoring eight of those 14. Tech held the Retrievers without a point until Chris De La Rosa hit a short jumper with 10:55 remaining in the half.
UMBC missed its first nine shots from the floor and committed eight turnovers in that span. The Retrievers made just four field goals in the first half (4-of-24) and turned the ball over 13 times.
“We had a bad start,” UMBC coach Randy Monroe said. “Give Virginia Tech credit. They came after us. They bumped us off some cuts. Their length and their size bothered us, and as a result, they got out to a big lead. That was a bit discouraging because I know we’re a better basketball team than that. People just didn’t get a chance to see a better team tonight.”
Delaney, the ACC’s leading scorer at 22 points per game coming into this game, hit 6-of-10 from the floor, including 4-of-6 from beyond the 3-point arc.
Dorenzo Hudson added 16 points for the Hokies, hitting 4-of-6 from the floor, including 2-of-3 from beyond the 3-point arc, and all six of his free-throw attempts.
Robbie Jackson, the Retrievers’ 7-foot center, paced UMBC with 11 points. The Retrievers shot just 22.9 percent – their worst shooting performance of the season and the worst by a Tech opponent this season.
“I challenged our team before the game to carry themselves like a very good basketball team and good basketball teams go out and win these games,” Greenberg said. “Good teams impose their will on games and I thought we did that right from the start defensively. We were active, and we were alert. Our approach was outstanding.”
The Hokies now take some time off for the Christmas holiday. They return to action on Dec. 30 with a home game against Longwood. Tip off for the game is slated for 2 p.m.