Grant Basile shot slow-starting Virginia Tech out of its early doldrums on his way to registering 23 points and 10 rebounds in the Hokies’ 77-49 win over Dayton on Wednesday night in Blacksburg, Va.
Sean Pedulla added 19 points on 8 for 13 shooting as Virginia Tech (9-1) won its fourth straight game and improved to 7-0 at home.
The Hokies scored four points in the first five minutes. Once they involved Basile, the Flyers didn’t have an answer.
The transfer from Wright State made 8 of 10 shots in the first half, including 4 of 5 from 3-point territory as Tech turned a six-point deficit into a 22-point lead.
Dayton (5-5) conversely was cold, especially from the perimeter as it missed its first eight shots from distance.
DaRon Holmes paced the Flyers with 13 points and 10 rebounds for his third straight double-double. Toumani Camara scored nine points, topping the 1,000-point mark for his career in 101 games.
After trailing 12-6, Tech took the decisive lead with a nine-point run. Then later in the half, the Hokies ran off 16 straight points with the spree highlighted by a 3-pointer and a dunk by Basile and a pair of crafty jumpers inside by Darius Maddox, who finished with 12 points.
At the break, the Hokies had a 42-21 lead due to a smoothly functioning offense that shot 56.3 percent and committed two turnovers. Dayton shot 24.3 percent in the first half and finished at 30 percent for the game.
The Hokies barely missed Justyn Mutts, who picked up two quick fouls and sat out most of the first half. Mutts, who scored 27 points Sunday in the Hokies’ 80-72 win over North Carolina, didn’t take a shot from the floor against Dayton.
After the break, Dayton didn’t make a serious run at Virginia Tech. Midway through the half, Hunter Cattoor blew down the middle of the lane for a highlight-reel slam-dunk that gave the Hokies a 58-31 lead.
–Field Level Media
