One year ago, four days before Christmas, the Saint Joseph’s Hawks defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies 82-62 to fall to 5-7 on the season. In that game, the Hawks hit 15 3-pointers, shooting almost 47% from beyond the arc, while the Hokies struggled to put the ball in the basket. Tech was also plagued by turnovers, something that would follow them all season.
Fast forward almost 11 months. Saint Joseph’s met the Hokies in a rematch on Wednesday night, this time at Cassell Coliseum. It was never close, as Virginia Tech raced out to an early lead and never looked back, winning the rematch 94-59.
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The contrast between these two teams from last year to this year was stark. Both teams entered Wednesday 2-0. However, the Hokies are a much more talented team now than they were one year ago.
Virginia Tech led 47-27 at halftime after shooting 51% from the field in the first half. However, for as good as the offense was, Tech’s defense was equally impressive. The Hokies forced 12 turnovers in the first 20 minutes and converted those turnovers into 17 points.
In another sign of how different this team is now, VT only turned it over twice in the first half.
The second half was more of the same for the Hokies. They shot 52% from the field, and made 11 of 27 (41%) from behind the 3-point line. Overall, they forced 19 turnovers while turning it over only 7 times. Tech had 23 assists compared to 7 turnovers.
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It was yet another balanced scoring effort for the Hokies, with forward Amani Hansberry leading the way with 19 points. Freshman sensation Neoklis Avdalas contributed 14 points, seven assists, five rebounds and two blocks. Senior forward Tobi Lawal had 11 points and seven rebounds, while Jaden Schutt (12), Tyler Johnson (11), and Ben Hammond (11) all scored in double figures.
This is an impressive win for Virginia Tech. Now 3-0, the Hokies next take the court on Saturday, when Charlotte comes to Blacksburg for a 2 p.m. ET tipoff.
