Virginia Tech blew out visiting Quinnipiac 81-61 in the opening round of the
NIT on Wednesday night. The game was never in doubt, with Tech taking the lead
just two minutes in and never letting up. The Hokies are now 24-8 on the season.
The Bobcats finished the year with a 23-10 record.
Malcolm Delaney led all scorers with 25 points. He was 9-of-17 from the field
and 4-of-8 from three-point range. The junior guard also had seven rebounds, six
assists, two steals and no turnovers in 37 minutes. Delaney rediscovered his
jump shot after having an off game against Miami in the ACC Tournament.
Dorenzo Hudson was just 1-of-9 from the field in the first half, but he came
back strong in the second half and scored 19 points for the game. No other Tech
player scored in double figures.
J.T. Thompson and Victor Davila each finished with nine points and seven
rebounds. Jeff Allen played just 19 minutes, but had six points and nine
rebounds. Terrell Bell also had a nice line, with five points, six assists, six
rebounds and two blocks.
The Hokies outrebounded Quinnipiac 42-30, limited them to just 38.1% from the
field, and committed only seven turnovers.
Tech’s athleticism and size was enough to overcome the Bobcats. The Hokies
had 27 fastbreak points, compared to just two for Quinnipiac. The Hokies also
scored 16 second chance points.
The Bobcats led 2-0 early on a jumper by Jonathan Cruz, but that lead didn’t
last. A layup by Dorenzo Hudson at the 17:54 mark put the Hokies up 4-2, giving
them their first lead of the game, which they never relinquished.
Virginia Tech went on to lead by as many as 14 points in the first half, but
a layup by Justin Rutty made the score 39-27 Hokies at halftime. Rutty played a
great game for Quinnipiac, finishing with 22 points and seven rebounds on
10-of-13 shooting. He entered the game averaging a double-double.
It didn’t take Tech long to extend the lead in the second half. A Jeff Allen
layup with 14:33 remaining pushed the lead to 54-34, and the Hokies coasted from
there. They didn’t extend the lead much after that. A 23-point lead was their
biggest margin, but the Bobcats never cut it to closer than 16.
A layup by freshman wing Manny Atkins ended the scoring, and the Hokies
walked out of Cassell with the 81-61 win.
With the victory, the #1 seed Hokies advance to the second round of the NIT,
and they’ll host #4 seed UConn. The game will be played in Cassell Coliseum at 7:00 on Monday, March 22nd, and will be televised by ESPN.
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