Hokies Beat Bonnies, Improve to 5-1

Virginia Tech got a great defensive effort from their post players and knocked off St. Bonaventure 73-64 in Cassell Coliseum on Sunday evening. The Hokies moved to 5-1 on the season with the win, while the Bonnies dropped to 2-2.

St. Bonaventure is a solid squad that was picked fourth in the Atlantic 10 this season. They are led by power forward Andrew Nicholson, a projected NBA Draft pick. Victor Davila and Cadarian Raines did an outstanding job on Nicholson, holding him to just nine points and seven rebounds. He also committed four turnovers and four fouls.

Davila scored 13 points for the Hokies, while Raines added six. Tech’s inside duo clearly go the better of Nicholson. However, the two Tech players only combined for six rebounds, and the Hokies were outrebounded 36-28, so that remains an area that needs to be addressed.

Erick Green paced the Hokies with 19 points. His good shooting continued, as he went 5-of-11 from the field and 2-of-5 from three-point range. Jarell Eddie added 11 points for the Hokies, while Dorian Finney Smith chipped in with 11 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 35 minutes.

Virginia Tech shot 23-of-47 (48.9%) from the field, 7-of-15 (46.7%) from three-point range and 20-of-25 (80%) from the free throw line. The Hokies scored just 25 points in the first half, but their were very good offensively in the second half because they did not commit a single turnover in the final 20 minutes.

Demitrius Conger paced the Bonnies with 23 points, while Michael Davenport added 11.

Again, rebounding still seems to be Virginia Tech’s main weakness. Besides being outrebounded 36-28, they allowed the Bonnies to grab 17 offensive rebounds for the game. Fortunately St. Bonaventure only converted those opportunities into 10 points.

Tech returns to action on Wednesday night when they face Minnesota on the road as part of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:15pm, and the game will be televised by ESPN2.