National Basketball Association
Virginia Tech 78, Miami (OH) 63
When: 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Where: Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya, Riviera Maya
Officials:
# Ken Clark, # Peter Juzenas, # Darryl Smith
Attendance:
650
By SportsDirect Inc.
Virginia Tech 78, Miami (Ohio) 63: Adam Smith
scored 26 points off the bench and freshman Justin Bibbs added a career-high 22
as the Hokies rolled over the RedHawks in the Cancun Challenge Riviera Division
third-place game.
Joey Van Zegeren added eight points and a
team-high nine rebounds for Virginia Tech (3-2), which posted its highest point
total of the season in snapping a two-game losing streak. The Hokies connected
on a season-best 10 3-pointers in 19 attempts, with Smith hitting 5-of-6 from long range.
Zach McCormick had 12 points and Will Sullivan and
Eric Washington added nine apiece for Miami (2-3), which turned the ball over 22 times. Second-leading
scorer Geovonie McKnight struggled for the second straight game, hitting 2-of-7
shots and finishing with four points.
Virginia Tech took a 39-17 lead into the second
half and showed there would be no letdown with Bibbs hitting a 3-pointer 11
seconds into the period. The RedHawks pulled within 43-28 on a McCormick trey,
but the Hokies slammed the door with a 24-10 run that gave them their biggest
lead at 67-38 with a little more than nine minutes to play.
After a sluggish start on both ends of the floor,
Miami took a 7-3 lead, but the Hokies got going and surged ahead 15-9 via a
12-2 run over the ensuing four minutes. The Hokies led 24-15 with a little less
than six minutes to play when Smith heated up in a hurry, scoring 13 points in a
15-2 half-closing spree that gave the Hokies their 22-point cushion at the
break.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Washington, Miami’s third leading
scorer at 10.3 points, sat out the first half as punishment for showing up late
to a team meeting earlier Wednesday. … Virginia Tech, which was on the low end
of an 18-3 free-throw differential in Tuesday’s semifinal loss to Northern Iowa,
enjoyed an 18-8 advantage Wednesday. … Miami had 20 assists and 34 turnovers in its two Cancun losses.
Top Game Performances
Miami (OH) |
|
Virginia Tech |
Zach McCormick 12 |
Scoring |
Adam Smith 26 |
Eric Washington 6 |
Assists |
Justin Bibbs 3 |
Chris Bryant 6 |
Rebounds |
Joey Van Zegeren 9 |
Chris Bryant 4 |
Free Throws Made |
Justin Bibbs 5 |
Logan McLane 3 |
Steals |
Malik Muller 2 |
LJ Livingston 2 |
Blocks |
Jalen Hudson 2 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Miami (OH)
|
63 |
43.4 |
9-18 |
8-13 |
14 |
20 |
4 |
11 |
22 |
Virginia Tech
|
78 |
49.0 |
10-19 |
18-24 |
9 |
33 |
4 |
7 |
22 |