BLACKSBURG – The Virginia Tech men's basketball team cruised to an 87-59 victory over Gardner-Webb on Friday night at Carilion Clinic Court at Cassell Coliseum in the season opener.
Five Hokies reached double figures in scoring on Friday night. Sophomore Nickeil Alexander-Walker registered 21 points and six rebounds. Redshirt-Junior Kerry Blackshear Jr. tallied 14 points on the night. Senior Justin Robinson had a near double-double with 11 points and eight assists. Senior Ahmed Hill chalked up 11 points and six rebounds.
Freshman Isaiah Wilkins recorded 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting in his first game as a Hokie, including hitting five 3s on seven attempts.
"I think the best thing about Isaiah Wilkins so far is that he only does what he can do, he doesn't veer out of his lane too much and he bailed us out in the first half at Liberty for sure," Virginia Tech head coach Buzz Williams said. "He's smart and he has a feel for how to play, and I think those two things coupled together allow him to stay in his lane, and in many respects, I thought he saved us tonight."
The Hokies started off the first half strong defensively, holding Gardner-Webb to just four points through 10 minutes of action. Tech led for most of the first half and held a 13-point advantage at the 2:16 mark. The Hokies entered halftime with a 42-33 lead.
(11/9/2018) 2018-2019 MEN'S BASKETBALL OPENER
Gardner-Webb came out hot in the second half and cut the lead to just four points at the first media timeout. Tech would then go on a crucial 24-3 run, sparked by a Ty Outlaw 3-pointer and an Ahmed Hill lay-up to push the lead to 71-46 at the 7:51 mark.
Six straight points in the paint from Robinson, Outlaw and Blackshear late in the second half put the game out of reach for Gardner-Webb. Tech controlled the rest of the second half and rolled to an 87-59 victory.
Notes
- The Hokies outscored Gardner-Webb 40-26 in the paint.
- Tech held Gardner-Webb to just 26 points in the second half.
- The Hokies' bench outscored the Runnin' Bulldogs 25-17.
- Tech shot 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from downtown on the night.
UP NEXT
- The Hokies travel to Charleston, South Carolina to take on Ball State at TD Arena for the Charleston Classic. Tipoff is set for Thursday, Nov. 15 at 11:30 a.m. ET with coverage available through ESPN2.