Field Level Media
Nov 12, 2021
Hunter Cattoor scored a career-high 19 points and Keve Aluma powered inside for 20 points and six rebounds as Virginia Tech rolled to a 77-57 victory over Navy in the Veterans Classic on Friday night in Annapolis, Md.
Cattoor, who originally signed with Wofford but decided to follow coach Mike Young when he shifted from Wofford to Virginia Tech, hit 5 of 7 shots from beyond the arc as the Hokies (2-0) led throughout.
Aluma, a former player at Wofford who also followed Young to Virginia Tech, was accurate as well, hitting 10 of 10 shots from the free-throw line. Another Hokies player with ties to Wofford, Storm Murphy, added 11 points and six boards. Murphy, a grad transfer, came to Tech after starting four years at Wofford.
Bidding for its second straight upset win after toppling No. 25 Virginia on Tuesday, Navy (1-1) got a career-high 15 points from Tyler Nelson. But the Midshipmen struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 3 of 25 tries. John Carter Jr. and Sean Yoder, who combined for 34 points and hit 8 of 11 treys in the upset of Virginia, were a combined 0-for-10 from distance against Tech.
Virginia Tech surged from the start, scoring 11 straight points to take a lead it would not relinquish. Aluma triggered the run with a jumper and finished it with a pair of free throws. In between, Cattoor drilled a 3-pointer.
When Cattoor made a layup and followed with another 3-pointer, the Hokies had a 22-6 lead just seven minutes into the game.
Justyn Mutts (nine points, six rebounds) made the play of the half for the Hokies when he rose for an errant 3-point shot that had bounced high off the rim, palmed it with his right hand and slammed it through the hoop. Mutts added an alley-oop slam in the second half.
Navy made a run early in the second half, whittling an 18-point deficit to 10 as Daniel Deaver (10 points) made back-to-back buckets. But Tech answered immediately, scoring nine points on its next three possessions.
Nahiem Alleyne triggered the sprint with a 3-point play. Then Mutts and Cattoor followed with 3-pointers. When Aluma added a pair of free throws to complete the 11-0 run, the Hokies were up 60-39.
--Field Level Media