Justin Bibbs and Kerry Blackshear Jr. scored 20 points each to carry Virginia Tech to a 95-68 non-conference victory over Radford at Carilion Clinic Court on Wednesday evening.
The win marked the Hokies’ sixth straight, as they moved to 8-1 overall on the season. Radford fell to 4-4 and lost to the Hokies for the second straight time.
“I think we took the loss to St. Louis [on Nov. 16] really well,” Tech point guard Justin Robinson said. “We never frowned upon it and got down. We turned it around right away and have building on it ever since.”
Bibbs connected on 8 of 10 from the floor and hit four 3-pointers. After being suspended for the first two games of the season by head coach Buzz Williams, Bibbs has returned to score in double figures in seven straight games.
Blackshear hit four of six from the floor and made all 11 of his free-throw attempts. Robinson finished with 11 points and nine assists.
Ed Polite Jr. scored 15 points to lead Radford (4-4), which scored the first four points of the game, but then withered under the Hokies’ attack. Virginia Tech, the nation’s leader in field-goal percentage coming in (54.6 percent) shot 62 percent from the floor (31 of 50) against Radford.
Thanks to some torrid shooting, the Hokies took control of this game within the first 15 minutes. Tech used two big runs — 14-2 and 13-2 — in that span to build a double-digit advantage and never trailed the rest of the way.
The Hokies capped their first half with back-to-back 3-pointers from Devin Wilson and Bibbs to end the first half and take a 47-30 lead. Virginia Tech shot 64 percent from the floor (16 of 25) in the first half, including 7 of 9 from beyond the 3-point arc.
Tech scored at least 95 points for the sixth time in nine games. The 95 points were the most that the Hokies have scored in 10 meetings with Radford.
The Hokies committed a season-low eight turnovers. The Hokies made eight 3-pointers against Radford and have made at least six in every game this season.
The Hokies made 25 of 31 from the line against the Highlanders and have made at least 20 free throws in eight of nine games this season. They’ve attempted no fewer than 23 in any game and are currently shooting 74.8 percent from the stripe.
For the second consecutive game, Blackshear attempted 11 free throws. He made 7 of 11 in the Hokies’ win at Ole Miss on Saturday and made a career-best 11 Wednesday night. He is shooting almost 80 percent from the line this season after shooting 55 percent as a freshman two years ago.
The Hokies take on Maryland Eastern Shore on Sunday at Carilion Clinic Court. The game tips off at 3 p.m.
–VT Athletics
