BLACKSBURG – Closing out its nonconference slate, the Virginia Tech men's basketball team dominated Maryland Eastern Shore, winning 92-37 on Sunday evening at Carilion Clinic Court at Cassell Coliseum.
With the victory, the Hokies (10-3) improved upon their school record of consecutive home nonconference victories, reaching 32 straight. They also made some other history, recording only two turnovers versus the Hawks (1-14) to tie the school record (Wake Forest, 2007).
Redshirt freshman Landers Nolley II recorded his first-ever double-double with a team-high 18 points and career-high 10 rebounds. Nolley has led Tech in scoring in nine games this season, while his double-double was Tech's second this year (Tyrece Radford, Gardner-Webb Dec. 15).
Freshman guards Hunter Cattoor (17 points) and Radford (13) each recorded career highs in scoring against the Hawks. Forward John Ojiako notched his career high in scoring with 15 points on the night. Tech's bench continues to contribute, racking up a combined 49 points in the victory.
The story of the night were the freshmen, tallying 79 of Tech's 92 points.
THE GAME
Tech jumped out of the gate hot, opening the contest on a 16-2 run. The Hokies never trailed in the first half and led by as much as 27 points. Tech scored 14 points off nine forced turnovers that the Hawks committed and outscored Maryland Eastern Shore 12-0 in fastbreak buckets.
Freshman Hunter Cattoor recorded 14 points while guard Tyrece Radford added 13 in the first half alone to give Tech a 45-22 advantage at the break.
Tech went on a 12-0 run to start the second half with Jalen Cone hitting a triple and Landers Nolley adding a jumper and a lay-in during that stretch. The Hokies never trailed throughout the entire game, winning 92-37.
GAME NOTES
- The 92-37 win is the largest margin of victory since 2011 (Mount St. Mary's).
- Tech's bench scored 49 points, marking the seventh game this season the bench has scored over 20 points.
- The Hokies defense tallied 19 points off of the Hawks 14 turnovers. Tech had seven steals and seven blocks.
- Radford notched career highs in two categories, including points with 13 and assists with five.
- Cattoor nailed a career-high five 3-pointers versus the Hawks. The Florida native has now hit nine 3s over his last three games.
- Ojiako registered his career-high in points with 15. He also grabbed six rebounds, which is his second-highest board total this season.
UP NEXT
The Hokies will travel to Charlottesville to take on No. 16/13 Virginia in the Commonwealth Clash presented by Virginia529 on Saturday at John Paul Jones Arena.Gallery: (12/29/2019) 2019 MEN'S BASKETBALL vs. UMES
