Virginia Tech played another excellent game defensively, this time knocking off George Washington 68-36 in Cassell Coliseum. It was the second game in a row the Hokies have held an opponent to under 40 points. The win takes them to 5-3 on the season, and they get the rest of the week off before facing in-state rival Old Dominion next Sunday.
Tech held George Washington to just 14 first half points. The Colonials shot just 25.9% from the field. It was the second time in a row Tech’s opponent has shot below 30%. No team has shot better than 32.1% against the Hokies since November 28 at Penn State.
GW’s leading scorer is forward Rob Diggs. He came into this game averaging 13.8 points per game, but was scoreless against the Hokies. Diggs was 0-of-6 from the field. The Colonials had just four assists as a team and committed 18 turnovers.
Virginia Tech was paced by junior guard/forward A.D. Vassallo. Vassallo had been in a slump recently, but found his stroke on Sunday night. He dropped 18 points on GW, and was 4-of-7 from three-point range. He also pulled down five rebounds and had three assists.
Senior forward Deron Washington added 17 points for the Hokies. Like Vassallo, he also chipped in with five rebounds and three assists. As usual, he had a highlight reel dunk on a fast break off a steal.
Freshman forward Jeff Allen contributed his fourth double double in eight games. He had 10 points and 10 rebounds, and also had a team-high three steals. The Hokies also got good play from their freshmen guards. Hank Thorns and Malcolm Delaney combined for nine assists and just three turnovers.
The Hokies controlled this game from the opening tip. GW tied the game at four with 15:08 left in the first half on a jumper by Maureece Rice, but that’s as close as they got. The Colonials never led.
Virginia Tech responded to the Rice jumper by going on a 9-0 run to make the score 13-4 with 9:57 left in the half. Deron Washington had six points during the run. The Hokies were struggling offensively at that point against GW’s extended zone defense, but defensively they were flawless.
This was a five point game with six minutes remaining in the half. Tech led 17-12 after a three-pointer from Rice, but that was the last field goal for the Colonials in the first half. The Hokies ended the first half on a 13-2 run that was capped by a Hank Thorns three-pointer with 34 seconds left. Tech led 30-14 at the break.
The Hokies gradually extended their lead in the opening minutes of the second half. With 16:02 remaining, Maureece Rice hit a three-pointer to make the score 43-22. That’s as close as GW got from that point. Tech responded by going on a 12-0 run to make the score 55-22 with 10:40 left in the game. Half of Tech’s points during the run came on fast break opportunities.
From that point, the Hokies coasted to the easy thirty-two point victory. Tech outscored GW 34-10 in the paint, 19-8 off turnovers and 18-7 on fast breaks.
Virginia Tech returns to action next Sunday when they take on Old Dominion in Norfolk. Tipoff is scheduled for 4pm, and the game will be televised by Comcast Sports Net.
Tech Sideline is Presented By: