Buzz Williams era begins with win over UMES

The Buzz Williams era got off to a successful start as the Hokies beat Maryland-Eastern Shore 71-46 on Friday night.  The Hokies are now 1-0 on the season.  UMES, which counts former Tech star Ace Custis amongst it's coaches, is now 0-1.

There were good things and bad things about Friday's game.  Tech's four-guard lineup was outrebounded by the Hawks 35-33, and the Hokies allowed 14 offensive rebounds.

On the other hand, VT only had six turnovers, and their first turnover did not come until the 7:01 mark of the second half.  That's amazing efficiency for a team that played four freshmen and one JUCO who all saw action in a major college game for the first time.  All five of those players scored their first career points on Saturday night.

Justin Bibbs (Fr.): 15 points, 2 assists, 0 turnovers, 1 steal, 29 minutes
Malik Muller (r-Fr.): 15 points, 5-of-5 from the field, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 27 minutes
Ahmed Hill (Fr.): 11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 20 minutes
Shane Henry (Jr.): 3 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, 13 minutes
Satchel Pierce (Fr.): 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks, 15 minutes

Joey van Zegeren and Pierce both fouled out, with van Zegeren playing just 19 minutes.  He had four points, four rebounds and two blocks.  The Hokies weren't nearly as effective in the paint, either on the boards or defensively, with him on the bench.

Tech shot just 17-of-29 (58.6%) from the free throw line, and sophomore guard Devin Wilson was just 1-of-5.  However, Wilson did have six assists, no turnovers and two steals in 24 minutes.

The Hokies shot 24-of-46 (52.2%) from the field and 6-of-14 (42.9%) from three-point range.  Five Hokies made outside jumpers, with Malik Muller sinking both of his three-point attempts.

Tech returns to action on Wednesday night at 7pm when they host Liberty inside Cassell Coliseum.  The game can be seen online on ESPN3.

Embedded below are highlights of tonight's game, courtesy of TechHoops.com.