Virginia Tech fell to BYU 90-77 in the third-place game of the 2019 Maui Invitational on Wednesday night. The Hokies dropped to 6-2 on the season with the loss, while the Cougars, who knocked off UCLA in their opening game before falling to Kansas, improved to 5-3.
It was a good offensive game for Tech, who shot 31-of-58 (53.4%) from the field and 11-of-22 (50%) from three-point range, committed just eight turnovers and were outrebounded by only one. However, they struggled terribly on the defensive end of the court. BYU shot 54.2% from the field and had numerous wide open shots from the outside. The Cougars were 17-of-34 (50%) from the outside, and the 17 made three-pointers were a school record.
Redshirt freshman Landers Nolley led the Hokies with 22 points and seven rebounds. He was 9-of-18 from the field and 3-of-4 from three-point range. PJ Horne added 13 points, Nahiem Alleyne finished with 12, while Wabissa Bede had 11 points and seven assists.
Virginia Tech led 37-35 at halftime, and the game was extremely competitive well into the second half. However, a big 17-3 run by BYU sealed the deal, and the Hokies’ poor play on the defense end cost them a chance to win. They allowed 51 points in the second half.
The Hokies return to action on Friday, December 6 when they host Duke in Cassell Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for 7pm, and the game will be televised by The ACC Network.