Blacksburg, VA — The Hokies ran their record to 10-1 after blowing out Maryland-Baltimore County 71-34 on Tuesday night in Cassell Coliseum. The 34 points scored by UMBC was the lowest point total for an opposing team in the history of Cassell Coliseum, which opened in 1961. The last time Tech allowed fewer than 34 points in a game was in a 50-32 win at Fordham in 1997. UMBC dropped to 1-10 with the loss.
Malcolm Delaney scored 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including a 4-of-6 mark from three-point range. Dorenzo Hudson added 16 points. He was 4-of-6 from the field, 2-of-3 from three-point range and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Delaney played just 24 minutes, while Hudson saw only 20 minutes of action. Tech’s backups played most of the second half, and the young freshmen got some important minutes.
Erick Green led the freshmen with 10 points in 20 minutes. He also had three assists and a steal, and only one turnover. Manny Atkins played 19 minutes, scoring seven points and grabbing five rebounds. Atkins added two assists and a block. Ben Boggs also chipped in with five points, four rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes.
Cadarian Raines saw his first extensive action of his career, playing 15 minutes. Raines struggled finishing down low, going just 2-of-9 from the field, but he led the Hokies with eight rebounds and five blocked shots. He was known as a player who could defend and rebound when he signed with Tech, and that’s what he showed on Tuesday night.
As a team, Tech was 26-of-57 (45.6%) from the field and 6-of-13 (46.2%) from three-point range. They outrebounded UMBC 45-29. The Retrievers, who have struggled offensively all season, shot just 22.4% from the field.
This game was over practically before it began. A three-pointer by Malcolm Delaney made the score 14-0 Hokies at the 11:13 mark of the first half, and UMBC did not score until point guard Chris De La Rosa hit a jumper with 10:55 remaining.
Between the 12:11 mark and the 10:22 mark of the first half, Malcolm Delaney nailed four consecutive three-pointers, scoring 12 of his 17 points in less than two minutes. After his final three-point jumper, Tech led 20-2 and the rout was on. The Hokies led by as many as 25 points in the first half, and took a 38-13 lead into the break.
It was Dorenzo Hudson who got Tech off to a strong start in the second half. The junior wing scored nine of VT’s first 11 points, connecting on a short jumper, four free throws and a three-pointer. After Hudson’s three-pointer, the Hokies led 49-18.
The backups played the rest of the game, and a big dunk by Cadarian Raines put the Hokies up 71-31 with 1:14 left before a three-pointer by Chris De La Rosa made the final score 71-34. It was Tech’s biggest and easiest victory of the season. They managed the big win with Jeff Allen scoring just two points and going 1-of-6 from the field.
Virginia Tech returns to action on Wednesday, December 30th against Longwood. Tip-off is scheduled for an early start at 2pm, as the team must catch a flight that night to Cancun where they will face Seton Hall on January 2nd.
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