Down a starter, Virginia Tech has little trouble with Valparaiso

Field Level Media|published: Sat 9th December, 14:32 2023

Mar 8, 2023; Greensboro, NC, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies head coach Mike Young signal to his players against the North Carolina State Wolfpack during the first half of the second round of the ACC tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. credits: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

With his backcourt sidekick on the bench in a walking boot, Hunter Cattoor delivered 19 points to lead Virginia Tech to a 71-50 win over Valparaiso on Saturday in Blacksburg, Va.

Lynn Kidd contributed 14 points and six rebounds, while Tyler Nickel emerged from a shooting slump to score 12 points as the Hokies (7-3) won their second straight and improved to 5-0 at home.

Virginia Tech overcame the loss of point guard Sean Pedulla, who sustained a foot injury in the final seconds of Virginia Tech's Atlantic Coast Conference win Sunday over Louisville.

In a radio interview before the game, Hokies coach Mike Young said he expected Pedulla to return for Virginia Tech's next game, Saturday against Vermont.

Isaiah Stafford scored 14 points for Valparaiso (4-6), which lost its fourth straight game, with the past three losses coming on the road.

Jaxon Edwards contributed 13 points and Kaspar Sepp added 10 for the Beacons, who made 40.4 percent of their shots from the floor and just 3 of 24 (12.5 percent) from 3-point range, while committing 14 turnovers.

Despite the absence of Pedulla, who had started every Hokies game since the start of the 2022-23 season, it was a stress-free win for Virginia Tech.

Thanks to hot shooting, the Hokies took command early. They were 6-of-8 shooting from 3-point range early in the game, with Nickel draining three of them as the Hokies went up 14-10.

Nickel finished 4-of-7 shooting from deep. He entered having scored a combined five points in the previous three games on 1-of-10 shooting from 3-point range.

The shooting performance allowed the Hokies to overcome 11 turnovers in the first half. Virginia Tech's biggest lead of the period was its 37-23 edge at the break.

Cattoor got Virginia Tech off to a quick start in the second half, hitting a 3-pointer.

A 9-0 run midway through the half gave the Hokies their biggest lead of the game. Robbie Beran made his second 3-pointer of the game during the run and Kidd capped it with a jumper that gave the Hokies a 56-31 advantage.

In Pedulla's stead, Brandon Rechsteiner got his first career start, delivering five points and three assists.

- Field Level Media

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