The Hokies raced up the floor in transition, hunting a basket to give them the lead around the at around 3:40 mark of the first half. While the first 20 minutes wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Virginia Tech, they closed in on what once was a 10-point Grambling State lead.
Sean Pedulla slowed the pace down from the right wing and swung the ball to Grant Basile at the top of the key. Basile faked a pass to the opposite wing and dropped off a lovely entry pass to Lynn Kidd who had a mismatch in the post. Kidd caught the ball, spun around, gathered the ball with two hands and rose up for the and-one finish at the rim.
The plus one layup marked a then 9-0 run from the Hokies in which was extended to a 21-2 run in the last 10 minutes of the second half to give Tech a 34-25 lead at the break. It was a lead that the Hokies wouldn’t vanquish as they poured on even more damage onto the backs of the Tigers and won convincingly 74-48. Now, the Hokies advance to 11-1 as they close out the non-conference slate and enter fully into ACC play.
“Starting off the game, we were just shooting threes and they were switching everything so it was hard to get our drive and kick game going,” Hunter Cattoor said. "We knew we had to get into the paint, drive and kick, to make the defense collapse and there’d be open looks.”
Believe it or not, the Hokies struggled out of the gate on both ends. The offensive rhythm wasn’t there as Tech only shot threes, seven of them, in the first four minutes of the game. On the other end, Grambling State went on an unconscious run, hitting all their perimeter shots and taking the 23-13 lead with 10 minutes gone of the first half.
“They’re throwing in shots left and right and we’re down 13-6 at the under 16 media. Got down as many as 10,” Mike Young said. “We buckled down a bit and our offensive possessions were good after that stretch.”
The Tigers not only hit shots at a high rate from downtown, making their first four triples, but they also locked the Hokies down on the defensive end early on. Tech shot the ball under 35% from the field until the final eight minutes of the first half came around.
“They’re gonna switch every action, every ball screen, and every pindown,” Young said. “We locked onto some things late in the half and we guarded very well.”
After Grambling State’s early two-way onslaught, Virginia Tech buckled down on both ends and went on a monster run to close off the first half. They caught fire from three, shooting 44% from downtown through the first 20 minutes. Most importantly, Tech got stops on defense and shut down the Tigers execution for the rest of the game.
“Our gap integrity and were more electric in driving lanes,” Young said. “We wore them down a little bit but I thought their shot selection and ball handling nose dived in the last 10 minutes of the first half.”
Despite giving up 23 points through 10 minutes and change, Tech allowed Grambling State to score only 25 points for the remainder of the game, spanning almost 30 minutes of play. They stifled the paint through strong rim protection with three blocks and great on-ball defense along the perimeter as shown by the Hokies' eight steals.
“Our defense is such a foundational part of who we are. We were really connected and quick to the ball…the floor looks smaller and shrinks.” Young stated.
Offensively, the Hokies were once again led by Sean Pedulla. He scored 21 points off 5-12 shooting from the floor including 4-8 from three point range plus 7-9 from the free throw line. Pedulla continues to blossom into a star guard in the ACC for Tech as he’s making 20-point outings a regular occurrence.
“I’m at a point now where I know I can score this number of points, but it’s about looking for teammates and getting the baskets that come to me.” Pedulla said.
Tech was efficient scoring the basketball as a whole. They shot 51% from the floor and 41% from three for the game. Interestingly enough, the Hokies were hot from three in the first half, shooting 44% but cooled off to the tune of 36% long range shooting in the second half. However, Tech made up for it by converting on 61% of their total shots from the field in the second half, making it a well-rounded game offensively for the Hokies.
“It’s encouraging (shooting over 40% from 3 for the first time since ODU) but we don’t have to rely on that three ball night in and night out. We can put it in multiple other places on the floor.” Young said.
Cattoor was Tech’s second leading scorer with 13 points off four made threes and a free throw. Mutts added an efficient 11 points, three rebounds and two steals while the depth pieces in the front court did their job as well. In particular, Lynn Kidd chipped in seven points, three rebounds, two assists, and two blocks. Fellow backup big, Mylyjael Poteat scored four points and grabbed three boards to go with it.
“There it is, 11 & 6, every night take it to the bank. Great contributions from those two fellas (Kidd & Poteat),” Young said. “It gives us great flexibility, they both play really hard and can dribble handoff and can screen. It’s a real benefit to this team.”
Virginia Tech concluded non-conference play with a win over Grambling State and finished the non-conference slate 10-1 plus a win over UNC to be 11-1 overall. It's a much better look for the Hokies at this point in the year than where they were last year. In 2021, Tech got to 11 wins by late January vs Florida State but now, they've reached that figure before Christmas.
Next up for Tech will be their second true road test of the season versus 6-6 Boston College on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in Chestnut Hill. Mike Young knows he'll need to play better and be ready to embrace a unique environment.
“We’re gonna have to play better, it’s not an easy place,” Young said. “There'll be 37 people there and will have put the basketball floor down hours before tip-off. It’s cold as hell but you have to find a way to win the game, no ands, ifs, or buts about it.”
