Mike Young praises Sean Pedulla's first-half performance vs. Virginia
Virginia Tech is trying to snap a seven-game losing streak against No. 6 Virginia, and it could end shortly as they lead the Cavaliers 32-30 at halftime.
The Hokies were led in the first half by Sean Pedulla‘s game-high 14 points on 5-8 shooting. He’s knocked down two three-pointers, assisted on two passes and recorded one steal during the first 20 minutes. Before heading into the locker room for halftime, VT head coach Mike Young praised Pedulla’s ability to create open shots for himself.
“Very, very well. I thought he took a quick [shot] at about the 10-minute mark,” Young said about Pedulla getting to his spots. “All-in-all, he’s played a really nice first half. He distributed, did a really nice job guarding [Kihei] Clark, which is a big deal.”
Clark has five points and two assists at the half with Pedulla as his primary defender. With the sophomore guard’s fingerprints all over the game so far, a strong showing out of the break could give VT its signature win of the season.
Virginia Tech held the Cavaliers to 39.3 percent from the floor in the first half, while the Hokies shot a strong 46.4 percent themselves. The rest of the stats are almost identical — which means it’s anybody’s game in the second half. Catch the final stretch live on ESPN2.
Mike Young says ‘clock is ticking’ to build NCAA Tournament resume
The clock is ticking for Virginia Tech to build its NCAA Tournament resume, according to head coach Mike Young. Young was honest about the Hokies’ standing after a 92-83 loss to No. 23 Miami Tuesday night.
Virginia Tech only trailed 45-44 at halftime against the Hurricanes. However, the Hokies were outscored 47-39 in the second half.
The loss dropped Virginia Tech to 13-9 on the season. Safe to say, Young was right about the clock ticking.
“This one tonight isn’t fatal,” Young said. “The clock is ticking for us. We got a big one at home on Saturday against Virginia. You know we’ve got nine more of these teeth gnashers. We got to get on a stick here. I do have a good bunch. We have been on a bit of a bumpy ride, but I like our team a lot. But we got to be tougher, better than that on the road.”
Virginia Tech had four players in double figures, including two with 20 points a piece.
Hunter Cattoor finished with 20 points, four rebounds and four assists. Meanwhile, Sean Pedulla had 20 points, one rebound and three assists. Grant Basile added 17 points, seven rebounds and three assists while Justyn Mutts had 10 points, three rebounds and two assists.