ESPN3 VIDEO REPLAY
BLACKSBURG, Virginia -- Redshirt junior Ahmed Hill and freshman P.J. Horne scored in double figures against North Carolina A&T, guiding the Virginia Tech men’s basketball team to a 76-59 victory on Thursday afternoon at Carilion Clinic Court at Cassell Coliseum.
The Hokies (11-2) shot well from the floor, hitting 29 shots on 59 attempts (49.2 percent), while capitalizing on its defensive presence by scoring 19 points off of turnovers versus the Aggies (7-8).
Trailing by a point at 10-9 in the early moments of the first half, Tech went on a 10-0 run behind redshirt sophomore Kerry Blackshear Jr.’s two successful post moves going into the media timeout at 10:59.
The Hokies would not look back, going up by as much as 18 points after a steal and quick layup by redshirt senior Devin Wilson as time expired, concluding the opening frame with a 38-20 lead.
Tech’s lead grew to as many as 23 points, its largest advantage of the day, following back-to-back three-pointers from Hill mid-way through the second half. The Aggies trimmed the deficit, but could not get it any closer than double digits.
NC A&T was led by forward Femi Olujobi, who recorded a game-high 21 points, four rebounds and two blocks.
NOTES
• Hill put in four shots from downtown, marking his fith game this season of nailing 4-plus three-pointers. The Georgia native scored a team-high 14 points and collected three rebounds.
• For the ninth time this season, the Hokies outscored their opponent in the paint, as they did versus the Aggies 40-32.
• The bench for Tech put in 33 points, marking the fifth time this year the reserves scored 30 or more points.
• Horne scored 10 points, tying the second-most of his young career, and recorded four rebounds and a block.
• Freshman Nickeil Alexander-Walker tied a career-high eight rebounds, while chipping in five points.
STAT OF THE GAME
• The Hokies controlled the pace of play, owning the advantage for more than 36 minutes in the clash with the Aggies. They also got a couple baskets out in transition, scoring five points compared to NC A&T’s two.
QUOTING BUZZ WILLIAMS
“I think the next step is, here is our tools and do we have the maturity in practice, in scouting, in film, to we are going to take advantage of this tool in this game and can we execute that.”
WHAT IS NEXT
• ACC play begins on Dec. 31, as the Hokies travel to Syracuse to face the Orange in the Carrier Dome. Tip is at 6 p.m. and the game will be shown live on ESPNU and the ESPN app.
VIRGINIA TECH HOKIE SPORTS
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