Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Following its most dunks in the Mike Young era, the No. 24 Virginia Tech men's basketball team defeated Longwood 84-58 on Monday night at Carilion Clinic Court at Cassell Coliseum.
The Hokies (7-1, 1-0 ACC), who got off to a slow start, kicked it in gear the second half and rolled past the Lancers (1-7, 0-2 Big South) for their fourth consecutive win against Longwood dating back to 2008. Mike Young is now 1-0, as this was his first contest against the Lancers and their head coach Griff Aldrich.
Tech was dominant offensively all-around shooting 49.2% and collecting 14 offensive rebounds. Jalen Cone led the team with 18 points, all coming from behind the arch. Keve Aluma contributed 14 points along with four rebounds to the win. Tyrece Radford showed strength all around, leading the Hokies with a team-high eight rebounds along with nine points for a near double-double.
On the defensive end, Tech racked up a season-high nine steals and forced the Lancers to commit 15 turnovers, with Tech scoring 15 points off those errors. Hunter Cattoor, Wabissa Bede, Aluma and David N'Guessan picked up two steals a piece. The Hokies held Longwood to 43.6% shooting from the field and 23% from behind the arc.
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Nahiem Alleyne came out just as he left off and drained a 3 to put the Hokies on the board in a competitive first half. A few minutes later Tech went on a 14-point run, which included three 3-pointers, two from Cone. Cone led the Hokies in the first half with nine points, which came by a way of three 3s. The Lancers went on a seven-point run to end the half, shrinking the Hokies lead to 34-30.
The Hokies started the second half hot with a 10-point run contributed by Radford, Justyn Mutts and Alleyne. The Lancers answered with an eight-point run of their own cutting the Hokies lead back down to five.
Tech began to pull away at the eight-minute mark with a 13-point run, putting them ahead of the Lancers by 22 points. Contributing to the run was another pair of 3s from Cone and a dunk from Aluma. The Hokies held the Lancers from making a comeback, ultimately leading to an 84-58 victory.
GAME NOTES
- The Hokies picked up nine steals, marking their season high to top their previous high of five, which they did against Coppin State in their last game. Tech has had 14 steals its last two games, marking its best two-game stretch in that category.
- Tech had seven dunks, the most in the Mike Young era.
- Tech tallied 45 points off the bench, the second most of the season (51, Coppin State).
- The Hokies forced 15 turnovers, leading to 15 points.
- All 13 of Tech's players made an appearance on the court.
- The Hokies outscored the Lancers 21-1 off second chance points
UP NEXT
Tech will resume its ACC slate against Miami (4-2, 0-1 ACC) on Tuesday, Dec. 29 at 6 p.m. ET inside Cassell Coliseum with coverage available through the ACC Network.
Gallery: (12-21-2020) 2020 MEN'S BASKETBALL vs. LONGWOOD