BLACKSBURG, Va. - Charleston Southern was outmatched in a meeting with ACC member Virginia Tech, dropping a 73-50 contest Saturday, at Cassell Coliseum. The Bucs suffered from a 34% shooting effort, while committing 23 turnovers. The Hokies had an efficient night, shooting 55 percent with 27 points off of turnovers and 34 points in the paint. CSU dropped to 4-6 overall, while Virginia Tech improved to 9-1.

Freshman Jeremy Sexton led the Bucs with 16 points on 5-9 shooting, including a 4-6 clip from behind the arc. Kenny Mitchell also reached double figures with 14 points on 4-8 shooting with a 6-6 mark at the foul line. Kelvin Martin chipped in with eight points, five rebounds, five steals and four assist, while Jamarco Warren tallied a career low two points. Malcolm Delaney led all players in points and assists with 26 and 6, respectively.

Virginia Tech scored the first eight points of the game, to establish a lead that they would hold for the entire contest. Mitchell got CSU on the board with a dunk, but the Hokies went on to score nine more unanswered, for a 17-2 advantage. CSU did manage three straight baskets over a three minute stretch to double their point total, bringing the score to 27-12.

The Bucs struggled offensively for most of the first half, with the Hokies in front 31-12 at the 3:29 mark. CSU dominated the final minutes of the first half however, surging for a 9-0 run, capped off by a Jeremy Sexton free throw with six seconds on the clock. Delaney then managed a shot in the lane at the buzzer, giving Virginia Tech a 33-21 lead at the intermission.

After trailing by as many as 21, the Bucs outscore the Hokies 15-6 over the final 7:23 in the first half. CSU failed to hit a three in the first half, while suffering from a 31% shooting effort. Virginia Tech shot 52% percent in the first half, while both teams were even on the rebounds and turnover margin.

It looked like the Bucs were going to make a game out of it to start the second half, with Mitchell scoring four straight points to make it a 33-25 deficit. The Hokies responded with a 7-0 run of their own however, to go up 15 five minutes into the half. CSU cut the deficit down to 12 again thanks to a pair of Martin free throws, but that would be as close as they would get.

Delaney hit back to back threes from there, to start a 17-1 run that put the game out of contention. The score showed 57-29 with 8:12 on the clock and Virginia Tech would go on to lead by as many as 29.

The Bucs got some good minutes from Sexton, who tallied 10 points over the final four minutes, including three threes and a four point play. The Hokies scored the final basket of the game to bring the final score to 73-50.

CSU will look to bounce back from a tough four game road stretch, when they play Southeastern at home on Monday, December 21, at 7:30 p.m.

Postgame Quotes