Virginia Tech worked Winthrop in a 58-52 win Monday night that was a back-and-forth contest for 40 minutes.“That’s not Miami, that’s not whomever, but that’s a good team,” Tech head coach Mike Young said. “I would liken that to some of our non-league games that we’ve had in here, somebody that’s better than we were supposed to be. … This team needed to see that, they needed to feel that, they needed to experience that, they needed to play that way.”
The Hokies (3-0) sputtered on the offensive end in the first half, shooting a poor 25 percent (8-of-32), but found more of a flow in the second — they were 11-of-25 (44%) from the floor and 6-of-13 (46%) from behind the arc — while their defense stayed consistent.
The Eagles (2-1) were just 20-of-58 (35%) for the game, including 5-of-32 (16%) from 3-point range. Tech forced 11 turnovers and didn’t allow them to get out in transition. Overall, it was a better defensive product than its first two games against Delaware State and USC Upstate.
“We had to take a quantum leap forward defensively and we did that,” Young said. “… I thought we were next to deplorable on Friday against USC Upstate. Take a lot of pride in that. The ball’s getting all the way to the rim, we weren’t very connected and I thought the complete flip of that was tonight.
“Our ball-screen coverages were good. Again, we weren’t perfect. Again, we’ll come back and see it on Wednesday and make necessary improvements, but … I was discouraged when I left here Friday.”
Guard Jaden Schutt led Tech offensively with a career-high 17 points. The Duke transfer was in a groove all evening, knocking down five of his 10 3-point attempts. He was 3-of-5 in the second half, all of which came before the first media timeout. Two of those were on back-to-back possessions.
He provided life to a Hokies offense that was very stagnant at times, as did Jaydon Young. Though he only scored six points, the sophomore’s two treys were crucial. One came with 4:59 remaining and extended the lead to eight, 50-42, while the other came 90 seconds later and made it a nine-point contest.
Tech only hit eight of its 29 3-pointers in the game, but they were at important junctures. Freshman point guard Ben Hammond added the other second-half triple, the first of his career.
“We couldn’t throw one in the New River, but Jaydon Young stepped to the plate and got two huge ones down going down the stretch,” Young said. “Ben Hammond hit a huge shot in front of our bench. Disappointed with our shooting numbers, that will get better.”
Shots weren’t falling from the outside and it was a quiet night on the interior — Tech had just 20 points in the paint to Winthrop’s 30, and forward Mylyjael Poteat was somewhat invisible offensively with a five-point, 1-of-7 outing. However, it got some important contributions from redshirt sophomore center Patrick Wessler, who had a big put-back layup that started an 8-0 run and finished with six boards.
“More confidence and more comfortable with who he is and he’s ready to compete, he’s ready to help our team,” Young said of Wessler. “He was responsible and disciplined defensively guarding [Kelton] Talford. I thought Patrick had another really good game. That’s three that he’s played well and has helped our team.”
More than anything, though, the Hokies had to lean on their defense and rebounding — the latter of which was excellent. They finished plus-11 on the glass, 43-32, and corralled 16 offensive boards — the most they’ve had in a win since they grabbed 18 in a 71-54 victory at Louisville on Feb. 28, 2023.
Tobi Lawal and Tyler Johnson were the driving forces there. They both finished with 10 rebounds and combined for 10 on the offensive glass — Johnson led with a 6:4 split. He’s the first Tech true freshman with at least 10 boards in a game since Khadim Sy in 2016 — and Chris Clarke and Kerry Blackshear Jr. in 2015-16 before that.
“He’s got a nose for it and he will knock your head off,” Young said of Johnson. “He’s tough, he’s physical, he’s a good basketball player. I thought he took a quick shot down there in the short corner off an offensive rebound, but what a good performance from him, and I thought he competed defensively, did a nice job.”
Meanwhile, it was the fifth double-double of Lawal’s career and his first in Blacksburg. The VCU transfer was Tech’s second-leading scorer with 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting (and 4-of-7 from the free throw line).
Outside of Schutt and Lawal, it was a balanced effort. Young had his six points while Hammond chipped in six of his own — three of which came from the foul line. The rookie point guard had two steals as well.
Poteat added five points while Johnson, Wessler and Brandon Rechsteiner had four each. Ben Burnham’s lone basket was an early dunk.
In the end, the Hokies just got defensive stops when needed. Kasen Harrison (19 points) and K.J. Doucet (17) guided the Eagles, but Tech bowed up in the waning moments. It was anyone’s game through the first 20 minutes and Winthrop led 25-23 at halftime, but once Tech snatched back the lead with 18:45 in the second half, it held serve the rest of the way.
Though the Eagles cut into a nine-point margin and made it a three-point game with 59 seconds remaining, Rechsteiner and Lawal knocked down some free throws to seal it.
Despite the offensive struggles, it was a step forward defensively — especially in transition, which was an emphasis all week in practice — for a Hokies bunch that let USC Upstate make 51 percent of its shots Friday night. Limiting an experienced Winthrop team that finished 17-15 (8-8 Big South) last year to just 35 percent from the field was an improvement in Young’s eyes, and was much-needed considering Penn State lies ahead on Friday.
“We allowed maybe 75 combined transition points against the Hornets and the Spartans,” Young said. “So encouraging. Jumping up and down and saying bad things finally got through to them, but it’s an everyday deal with this team. Really happy with the improvements that we made there.”
Box Score: Virginia Tech 58, Winthrop 52
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