Sean Pedulla finished with 15 points and 10 assists to guide Virginia Tech to a 100-55 victory over visiting Coppin State in the opening game for both teams Monday in Blacksburg, Va.
Lynn Kidd contributed 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds to notch the first double-double of his career for the Hokies, who are coming off a 19-15 season.
Hunter Cattoor contributed 13 points and Tyler Nickel 12 points and seven rebounds as the Hokies who rushed to an early lead and were never seriously challenged.
Preist Ryan and Justin Winston led Coppin State with 12 points each in the debut of new Eagles coach Larry Stewart, an alum of the school who spent parts of five seasons in the NBA.
The Eagles struggled against the Hokies’ rugged defense, hitting 37.3 percent of their shots and committing 19 turnovers. Meanwhile, the Hokies made 51.6 percent of their and committed 11 turnovers.
Virginia Tech was leading 14-7 when it went on a 14-point run. Pedulla triggered the spree with a driving layup and a 3-pointer.
Then North Carolina transfer Nickel added a 3-pointer. When Cattoor finished the run with a pair of free throws, the Hokies led 28-7.
The Hokies closed the half with a 3-pointer from Cattoor and two free throws from Kidd to take a 45-19 lead into the locker room.
Early in the second half, Kidd made slam dunks 32 seconds apart on consecutive possessions.
Late in the game, Virginia Tech went on a 12-point run, capped by consecutive 3-pointers from John Camden and Jaydon Young.
Virginia Tech freshman Brandon Rechsteiner made a successful debut as he scored 12 points, all in the second half.
Rechsteiner pushed the Hokies into triple digits with a 3-pointer and two free throws in the final two minutes.
–Field Level Media