The Virginia Tech Hokies defeated the Bryant Bulldogs 78-61 at Cassell Coliseum to improve to 5-0 on the season.
It was a special night for the Hokies, who introduced new head football coach James Franklin
at halftime. Franklin addressed the fired-up crowd in Blacksburg.
Bryant jumped on Tech early when Quincy Allen made a 3-pointer to give the Bulldogs a quick 3-0 lead. Bryant would lead for much of the first half before the Hokies finally took control with 4:14 remaining in the half when freshman sensation Neoklis Avdalas scored on a layup. Junior guard Jaden Schutt would then follow up with a dunk, followed by an Antonio Dorn bucket, and a Schutt 3-pointer, and it was all of a sudden 28-20. The two teams would go into intermission in a surprisingly tight 32-24 contest.
Franklin spoke at halftime, and the Hokies pulled away with a strong second-half effort. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Virginia Tech basketball game without a Tobi Lawal highlight.
Lawal would contribute another double-double, leading all players with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Lawal entered the game averaging 14 points and almost 12 rebounds per contest.
Of course, as we’ve been accustomed to all season so far, it was another balanced effort for VT. Freshman big man Christian Gurdak came off the bench and scored 15 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Tech employed a different starting lineup for this game, with freshman Antonio Dorn starting at center. He scored five points in 13 minutes.
Avdalas and sophomore Ben Hammon scored 11 points each, while Tyler Johnson finished with 10 points and nine rebounds. Avdalas also dished out five assists.
While the Hokies didn’t shoot well from beyond the arc (4 of 16), they finished the game shooting 52% from the field. Virginia Tech was strong on the glass again, outrebounding Bryant 38-24.
The win capped off an extremely special day in Blacksburg. After the game, head coach Mike Young expressed his appreciation for Franklin, sharing his excitement about the hire and Virginia Tech athletics.
The Hokies have a week off before hosting Colorado State in Blacksburg next Wednesday. Former Virginia Tech guard Brandon Rechsteiner is a starting guard for the Rams.
