BLACKSBURG, Va. – Behind the second-most 3-pointers in a game in school history , the Virginia Tech men’s basketball team defeated Coppin State 97-57 on Saturday night inside Carilion Clinic Court at Cassell Coliseum.
The Hokies (6-1, 1-0 ACC) stayed hot following the ACC victory over No. 24 Clemson (5-1, 0-1) last week. Mike Young improves to 3-0 against the Eagles (1-6, 0-0 MEAC) and the Hokies are now 4-0 in their all-time series.
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Tech proved to be strong offensively across the board with a season-high eight Hokies hitting 3s and 51 of the 97 total points coming from the bench. The last time Tech had this many players find success behind the arc was in 2017 against Houston Baptist.
The team was led by Jalen Cone and Nahiem Alleyne who had 18 points and five 3s a piece. The Hokies contributed 20 3s to the victory shooting 54.1%. The last time the team performed that well behind the arc was against Delaware State last November with 21 3-point baskets in their 100-64 victory over the Hornets.
THE GAME
The Hokies maintained their lead over the Eagles through the entirety of the first half. The lead began with a fastbreak layup from Wabissa Bede just a little over a minute into the game. Twenty-four of the last 29 points of the first half were 3-pointers, contributed by Aluma, Alleyne, Hunter Cattoor, Cone and Justyn Mutts. Tech ended the first half leading 39-22.
The Hokies had several runs in the second half, including a nine-point run to go ahead 57-32 at the 14-minute mark. Another run followed a Coppin State timeout late in the second half. Alleyne drilled a 3, the Eagles followed with a layup, but Darius Maddox answered with 3 followed by a pair of free throws by Joe Bamisile to put the Hokies up by 49, their biggest lead of the contest.
Coppin State went on a 9-0 run in the last minutes of the game, but it wasn’t enough to make up the lost ground against the Hokies.
The Hokies held the lead throughout the game, scoring 58 points in the second half to win 97-57 against the Eagles.
GAME NOTES
-The Hokies forced 18 turnovers leading to 30 of the Hokies’ points.
- Tech was aggressive on the boards collecting 31 defensive rebounds.
- Keve Aluma led the team in rebounds contributing seven to the teams’ 43.
- This is the third time this season that the Hokies have had more than 40 rebounds in a game, the other two were in victories against VMI and No. 3 Villanova.
- Tech tallied a season high 20 3-pointers.
- Tech shot over 70% for the fifth time this season, with making 17.
- Last year the Hokies scored 74 points against the Eagles with a 32-point advantage. This year Tech defeated Coppin State by 40 (97-57).
- The Hokies collected a season-high 51 points off the bench.
- Tech obtained a season-high 30 points off turnovers.
UP NEXT
The Hokies will face off against Longwood (1-6) on Monday, Dec. 21 at 8 p.m. ET inside Cassell Coliseum with coverage available through the ACC Network.