The Sports Xchange
Nov 22, 2017
Houston Baptist gave Virginia Tech all it could handle before the Hokies broke open a close game in the second half and defeated the Huskies 99-73 on Tuesday as part of the 2K Classic at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va.
Justin Bibbs led the way for Virginia Tech (4-1) with 25 points, and Ahmed Hill added 19 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Justin Robinson scored 15 points and had seven assists for the Hokies.
Houston Baptist's Josh Ibarra entered the game averaging a double-double (18 points, 10 rebounds per game) but finished with 13 points and seven rebounds.
Ian DuBose led the Huskies (1-4) with 15 points.
Houston Baptist kept the game close in the first half and led 36-34 with less than three minutes to go before the break. However, Bibbs connected on 3-point shot, Hill sank four free throws and Bibbs closed out the half with another trey to give the Hokies a 44-38 lead at the break.
The Huskies cut the deficit to 46-43 early in the second half, but then Bibbs and Hill went to work and Virginia Tech quickly had a 54-45 lead on Hill's 3-pointer.
The lead grew to 65-51 when Robinson connected on a 3-pointer, which he followed up with a layup.
Virginia Tech poured it on and outscored the Huskies 16-4 over the next five minutes to clinch the victory.
The Hokies came into the Tuesday game averaging 104.3 points per game, third best in the country. Against the Huskies, the Hokies made 64 percent from the field, including 16 of 26 from beyond the arc.
The Huskies made 44.6 percent of their field-goal attempts, including 7 of 19 3-point tries.