Sean Pedulla scored 21 points and led No. 24 Virginia Tech’s perimeter attack in a 74-48 victory against visiting Grambling on Saturday in Blacksburg, Va.
Hunter Cattoor had 13 points, with all of his field goals coming via four 3-pointers, and Justyn Mutts added 11 points for the Hokies (11-1), who overcame an early 10-point hole and won their sixth consecutive game.
Pedulla, who also led his team with six assists and five rebounds, also made four 3s, part of Virginia Tech’s 11-for-27 shooting from long range. The Hokies shot 51 percent from the field overall, while holding the Tigers to 36.5 percent.
Carte’Are Gordon’s 12 points and Cameron Christon’s 10 paced Grambling (6-4), who had defeated Colorado and Vanderbilt from power conferences but couldn’t pull off another of those conquests. The Tigers committed 19 turnovers.
Nine of Virginia Tech’s first 17 field goals were 3-pointers, producing a 47-31 lead by that juncture. Pedulla had four of those.
Cattoor hit two 3s as part of a 10-0 run in the second half as the Hokies opened a 63-36 edge.
Yet despite the strong long-range shooting, Virginia Tech was just 11 for 20 on free throws.
Virginia Tech displayed a strong transition attack, and that helped set up some of the 3-point shots.
Grambling finished just 5 for 18 on 3-pointers in the second all-time meeting with Virginia Tech, which also won the first matchup seven years ago.
Grambling started strong and built a 23-13 lead. Pedulla had the first five points of Virginia Tech’s 16-0 run.
This was Virginia Tech’s final nonconference game. The Hokies are 8-0 at home, including an Atlantic Coast Conference victory earlier this month against North Carolina.
The Hokies, who played with a national ranking for the first time this season, led 34-25 at halftime. Virginia Tech opened the second half on a 16-6 spurt with Pedulla hitting a pair of 3-pointers during that stretch.
–Field Level Media
