Virginia Tech lost 83-81 to Duquesne in an open exhibition on Saturday in Cassell Coliseum.
The Hokies led for 33 of the game’s 40 minutes and had big cushions at the under-four media timeout in both halves — 13 in the first (37-24) and seven in the second (76-69). However, they were sloppy down the stretch, with seven of their 19 turnovers coming after that point.
Tech point guard Ben Hammond led all scorers with 22 points, surpassing his career-high 21 points from last season’s overtime win over Syracuse. He was 3-for-4 from behind the arc.
Forward Tobi Lawal had 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting for the Hokies to go with eight rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals. He was joined in double figures by guard Jaden Schutt, who scored 11 points and corralled seven boards, and freshman guard Neoklis Avdalas, who tallied 11 points, five rebounds and two blocks.
The Dukes, who posted a 13-19 record in head coach Dru Joyce’s inaugural season in 2024-25, were led by guards Tarence Guinyard and Jimmie Williams — transfers from UT-Martin and USF, respectively. That duo had 21 points apiece and were a combined 14-of-27 with 13 rebounds, seven assists and six steals.
Tech shot 50 percent from the field (28-of-56) and 41 percent from 3-point range (9-of-22) to Duquesne’s respective marks of 43 percent (31-of-72) and 29 percent (9-of-31). The Dukes won the battle on the glass 41-40 — a stark turnaround after the Hokies were up 22-16 on the boards at intermission.
In the first half, Tech quickly jumped out to a double-digit lead after Lawal sparked an 11-0 run. That held for 10 minutes until Duquesne ripped off a 10-0 run out of a timeout, led by six quick points from Williams. The Hokies had a 39-34 lead at the break.
An Avdalas 3-pointer two-and-a-half minutes into the second half put Tech up 47-39, but the Dukes flipped the game with an 11-0 run that featured nine combined points from Williams and Guinyard.
The teams traded blows — there were four ties and five lead changes over the next five minutes — before Hammond knocked down two 3-pointers to give the Hokies some breathing room. West Virginia transfer Amani Hansberry added a layup before Hammond threw an alley-oop to Lawal for a slam to make it a 69-63 lead. Freshman Christian Gurdak capped off the 9-0 run with two free throws.
Tech kept Duquesne at arm’s length until things got mucked up in the final few minutes.
After 13 first-half giveaways, the Hokies only had one up to the under-four timeout in the second half. The Dukes turned up the pressure, though, and forced three straight turnovers that led to two easy transition baskets. The first two miscues came at the top of the key when Tech was trying to initiate an action and the passes were easily batted away. Lawal was pickpocketed on the third.
A Guinyard trey knotted things at 78 with 2:25 remaining. One free throw each from Lawal and Avdalas were offset by a Williams layup and it was 80-all with 1:18 left.
While it felt like the Hokies had the upper hand when Tyler Johnson stole the ball from Guinyard with 50 seconds to play, they were sloppy in transition and turned it over, which led to an easy dunk for Guinyard.
Tech didn’t get a good look on its next possession, even off a baseline-out-of-bounds play, and turned it over via a shot clock violation. A Williams foul shot made it a three-point game, and when the Dukes fouled Avdalas up three, he only made one free throw — the final points in the game. The Hokies’ final heave at the buzzer didn’t fall.
Box Score: Duquesne 83, Virginia Tech 81
Other Notes And Thoughts
• There were four technical fouls in the first half, including one on Tech guard Jailen Bedford in the game’s first 30 seconds. The UNLV transfer had a quick transition dunk and said something to a Duquesne player that the officials didn’t tolerate.At the 16:35 mark, Hansberry and Dukes forward John Hugley had to be separated and were issued offsetting technicals. Ten minutes later, Hugley was ejected from the game after picking up his second technical. The former Pitt player hit a 3-pointer in front of Gurdak and used a finger-gun gesture in the direction of the Tech bench.
• Speaking of Gurdak, he played well for the Hokies in 18 minutes, finishing with six points, four rebounds and three blocks. German center Antonio Dorn is not eligible for the season-opening game vs. Charleston Southern on Monday, Nov. 3, and could not play today, meaning frontcourt depth was limited.
Tech heavily relied on Gurdak as a result, and he did more than hold his own. He and Hansberry were in foul trouble the entire game, though, and Hansberry fouled out with 4:03 left after scoring just four points in 12 minutes.
• The returners stole the show. Hammond, Lawal, Schutt and Johnson combined for 56 of the group’s 81 points, and the Hokies looked smoother when they were on the floor. They appeared to be much more comfortable in Mike Young’s system than some of the others, which shouldn’t come as a surprise.
• It might take Avdalas some time to find his groove. He was 4-of-13 from the floor and 1-of-8 from long range, not exactly the dazzling performance some fans might’ve expected. His shot selection was mostly OK, but there were some moments where you could tell he’s still trying to figure out what Young wants him to do.
• Keep an eye on Izaiah Pasha’s role going forward. The Delaware transfer and reigning CAA Rookie of the Year played just six minutes for Tech against Duquesne and didn’t score, notching three rebounds. He didn’t have much of an impact when he was on the floor. Has it just taken him longer than some of the others to adapt to Young’s style of play?
• The Hokies had some brilliant moments and also some head-scratching ones. They seemed discombobulated defensively in transition, where guys were scrambling to communicate assignments and got beat a handful of times. A lot of the turnovers were simple things, too, like a player forcing something when he shouldn’t — fixable stuff.
There were also bright flashes, though, from sequences with superb ball movement around the perimeter to Lawal’s alley-oop. That’s exciting to see because it shows that the potential is there.