The Hokies came through last night with a big win over Maryland. The Terrapins came in to the Cassell with revenge on their minds after being embarrassed in the first meeting losing by 17-points in the Comcast Center. The 17-point loss is the largest margin of defeat at home for the Terps since the opening of the Comcast Center in 2002, so you just knew they would come ready to play.
In the first half the Hokies led by as many as 10 points, but the Terps responded with a 12-1 run to take their first lead of the game at 24-23. The remainder of the first half was back in forth, in the last nine minutes there were seven lead changes and three ties. The Terps closed out the half scoring the final four points and went in to intermission with a 44-41 lead.
The second half began with a quick bucket for Maryland’s Jordan Williams pushing their lead to five. Virginia Tech finally took back the lead with 11:36 remaining in the game. Over the next several minutes there were three ties and five lead changes with Tech taking the lead for good with 4:54 left in the game. Two late three-point buckets by Erick Green and 12 second half free throws by Malcolm Delaney were just too much for the Terps to handle. With 27 seconds left in the game the Hokies lead was cut to four points but MD23 finished the game with four straight free throws to give Tech a 91-83 win.
Tech’s offense the last two games has been a juggernaut for opposing defenses averaging 96 points per game. MD23 led the way for the Hokies last night with 22 points despite shooting just 3 of 14 from the field. He also had five assists, six rebounds including four on the offensive glass and three steals. Delaney played all 40 minutes of the game without committing a turnover. Erick Green finished with 20 points and five assists. And Jeff Allen AKA “The Big Donut” continued his streak of double-doubles with 16 points and 11 rebounds. He also chipped in three assists. Terrell Bell and Victor Davila also finished the game in double figures with 16 and 14 points respectively. Bell also came down with eight rebounds, three assists and three steals. Bell also finished 5 for 5 from three-point land.
Terrell Stoglin gave Maryland a huge spark coming off the bench to rip the Hokies for 25 points six assists which were both team highs. Jordan Williams chipped in 16 points nine boards. Dino Gregory was solid last night adding 12 points and three blocks. Two other Terps made it to double figures with Cliff Tucker and Pe’Shon Howard each finishing with 10 points a piece.
The win brings them a little closer to the dance floor, but they still have some work ahead of them before they can punch their tickets. The next two game for the Hokies are on the road against UVA and Wake. These are two very winnable games for Tech and winning these games would set up a huge matchup with Duke on the 28th of February. Our Seniors Delaney, Allen and Bell will do everything they can to carry this team to the NCAA tournament. We are playing great basketball right now, but looking past either of the two upcoming games against ACC bottom feeders could be fatal to our ultimate goal…..the field of 65.
