As the Virginia Tech Hokies headed into the Under-16 Media Timeout of the first half, the sluggish ending at Pittsburgh had seemed to carry over to Blacksburg as the Hokies were 0-6 from the floor.
It took exactly 5:07 for Nahiem Alleyne to bury a three-pointer to give the fans at Cassell Coliseum something to cheer about. Little did they know, that was the start of a 17-0 run to give the Hokies a 12-point lead.
“We weren’t worried on the offensive end,” Hunter Cattoor said. “We were getting good looks, they just weren’t dropping.”
During the near six-minute stretch, the Hokies saw Keve Aluma, Hunter Cattoor and Sean Pedulla additionally knock down shots from behind the arc which got the one of the ACC’s best offenses rolling.
For the fifth straight game, the Hokies shot over 50 percent from the floor, which is now a new program record. With the success, Mike Young’s team is in business once again with their fourth straight victory, this one ending in a 74-47 final over Pittsburgh.
“Stay the course,” Young said. “There’s great character in that locker room. I believe in them and I care for them.”
The offense stayed the course in the final minutes of the opening half as the Hokies put together a 7-0 run, capped off by an Aluma three-pointer in the closing seconds to give Virginia Tech an 18-point lead heading into the break, a complete 180 from how the game started for the hosts.
During the Hokies’ recent success, they have been able to find the production off their bench to help them prevail over their competition. And on Monday, their impact was felt yet again as they outscored the Panthers 24-14.
A key piece has been David N’Guessan, who made some major improvements during the offseason and is now the “sixth man” for this team.
“[N’Guessan has been] thrust into a more prominent role,” Young said. “He played a lot of minutes for us the other night, He’s like wrestling an alligator, and I say that with the utmost respect for John [Hugley].”
For the second straight contest, the Hokies were able to figure out Hugley’s DNA as the star Panther was held to 1-4 shooting in 21 minutes off the bench, proving how much this team's defense still remains crucial.
Sean Pedulla is a name that has started to receive the love from Hokie Nation in these last four victories.
The true freshman recorded his third 20+ minute performance against the Panthers, his second of conference play, while connecting on two of five from behind the arc.
But Pedulla’s vision on the court isn’t something that is getting enough attention and on Monday, the Edmond, Okla. native notched a new career-high with seven assists.
“He’s a good player,” Young said. “He didn’t play very well out there on Saturday, but a lot more positive than negative. He’s growing more confident by leaps and bounds here as we move down the trail.”
After playing three games in six days, Mike Young and Co. have some time to relax after a busy ACC slate. But that doesn’t mean the Hokies should take their foot off the accelerator for their next three home games, starting against a Syracuse team that is on the rise.
“Let’s find a way to compete and win on Saturday against the Orange who are playing really good basketball,” Young said. “I have not seen them very much, but I know their personnel, we’ll have our hands full.”
The Hokies will look to make it five straight wins on Saturday, something that they haven't done since they started the season with a 5-0 record.
The Orange (12-11, 6-6 ACC) will travel to Boston College on Tuesday night with a half game lead over the Hokies (14-10, 6-7 ACC) before venturing down to Blacksburg for the programs only matchup of the 2021-22 season.
Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. and all the action will be on ESPN2
