Virginia Tech overcame a shaky start to defeat Campbell 94-70 on Saturday night in Cassell Coliseum. The Hokies got down early, but blew the game open in the second half en route to the big victory. With the win, Tech improves to 9-3 overall, and remain 1-0 in ACC play. The Camels drop to 4-5 on the season.
Five Tech players scored in double figures during the game. The Hokies were once again led by Jamon Gordon, who scored 22 points for the second consecutive game. Gordon also finished with a team-high in rebounds (8) and tied for the team-high in assists (7). He was 9-of-18 from the field, including 3-of-4 from three-point range.
Gordon’s backcourt mate Zabian Dowdell enjoyed a very good game as well. Dowdell finished with 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-5 from three-point range. He also dished out three assists.
Deron Washington used his size and athleticism to have a good game against the smaller Camels. He scored 15 points, grabbed six rebounds, tied Gordon with a team-high seven assists, and he also had three steals.
Two Hokies came off the bench to score in double figures. A.D. Vassallo scored 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting. He was 2-of-4 from three-point range, and he also grabbed seven rebounds. Freshman point guard Nigel Munson scored in double figures for the second consecutive game, finishing with 10 points. Munson hit both of his three-point attempts.
Both teams shot well over the course of the game. Campbell came in averaging 86.5 points per game. They hit 24 of their 44 shots from the field, good for 54.5%. They were 15-of-24 from three-point range for 62.5%. But the Hokies matched them. Tech knocked down 38-of-66 shots for 57.6%. They were 10-of-16 from three-point range, good for 62.5%.
The difference in the game was Tech’s size and athleticism, and that showed in rebounds and turnovers. The Hokies out-rebounded Campbell 39-20, and forced 23 turnovers while committing just 12 of their own. The out-scored the Camels 23-12 in points off turnovers, and 46-18 in the paint.
Things didn’t look good early, as Campbell unleashed a barrage of three-pointers to jump out to an early lead. Campbell’s first four field goals of the game were from long range, and they found themselves with an early 12-4 lead.
The Hokies gradually cut into Campbell’s lead, and a three-pointer by Jamon Gordon with 10:13 remaining in the first half gave Tech its first lead, 22-21. The Camels retook the lead, and the game swung back and forth until late in the half. With 3:02 left in the half, a Jamon Gordon layup broke a 33-33 tie and gave Tech the lead, which they would not relinquish.
Tech led by as many as seven points in the first half, but a Ruell Pringle three-pointer with two seconds left in the half cut the lead to 43-39, and the Hokies took that lead into the halftime intermission.
The Hokies opened the second half on a 6-0 run. Coleman Collins scored four points during the run, and capped it with a dunk at the 18:39 mark to put Tech up 49-39.
With 7:13 remaining and Tech up 76-64,. A.D. Vassallo nailed a three-pointer that began a 14-0 run by the Hokies that eventually put them up 90-64, effectively ending the game. A big reason Tech took over the game in the second half was three-point shooting. The Hokies hit all seven of their three-point attempts in the second half.
Virginia Tech will get a few days off for Christmas. The Hokies return to action next Saturday when they travel to Huntington to take on the Marshall Thundering Herd. Tipoff is scheduled for 4pm, and the game will be televised by CSS.
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