Jarell Eddie says the three pointer is his shot and he sure showed that off on Sunday.
The sophomore forward hit five of six three pointers while scoring 24 points as the Hokies defeated in-state opponent Norfolk State 73-60 on Sunday afternoon. The win came in front of a less than astonishing crowd at Cassell Coliseum but it was the team's second straight victory and improved their record to 7-3 overall on the season.
Norfolk State has had a season similar to the Hokies with an up and down ride that included a close loss to Big East opponent Marquette. On Sunday, the Spartans played the entire game with the confidence that they could defeat Tech and had every intention of doing so.
The first half was a back and forth game as neither team could pull away. Senior Victor Davila got in trouble early which opened up the opportunity for forward Cadarian Raines to get into the game and he took advantage of it. Raines played with a ton of energy off the bench and made a case to be the team's new starting center by racking up ten points and seven rebounds. Davila finished with just six points and did not grab a rebound.
A 10-0 run late in the first half is what gave the Hokies the lead for good and that was in large part due to the sharp shooting of Eddie. He hit a huge three from the left corner second before the buzzer sounded that gave the team a five point lead heading into intermission.
The second half remained an up-tempo game with both teams struggling to get defensive stops. Norfolk State star big man Kyle O'Quinn lived up to the hype with 12 points in the first half but finished with just 14 for the game after being forced to sit on the bench much of the second half due to foul trouble.
The play of freshman guard Marquis Rankin was a real treat for fans as he plays the position like a natural point guard and has potential to be extremely special in the future. He finds teammates extremely well around the basket, takes care of the basketball, and has a quick first step that helped him get past the defender and to the basket a few times. If Rankin is able to develop a consistent jump shot, he will be a special point guard for the Hokies over the years.
Senior guard Dorenzo Hudson continues to struggle as he shot just 3-10 from the field and finished with seven points on the day. If Hudson continues to struggle, it will be interesting to see if Greenberg tries inserting freshman Robert Brown into the lineup as he has quickly become one of the best shooters on the team. Hudson, however, seems to still be working hard as he made several nice drives to the basket but the ball simply didn't bounce his way. It will be interesting to see how this situation develops moving forward.
Erick Green never got going as he has the past couple of games but was inserted back into the starting lineup. He finished with twelve points on 4-10 shooting but much of that was in large part due to the defense focusing much of it's attention on him. He continues to do a great job as the floor general and getting the ball up the court when facing full court pressure.
Ty Garland, meanwhile, did not see the floor for the third time in four games. It appears that Rankin has moved ahead of Garland on the depth chart and the move has paid off. Garland has went to his Twitter account recently with frustration and his status with the team will be something to watch moving forward.
The team will have this entire week off as the players take exams but they will return to action next Sunday when they take on Campbell at 4:00 p.m