Virginia Tech basketball: Hokies move to 4-0 with blowout win over St. Francis (Pa.)

The Virginia Tech Hokies improved to 4-0 on Thursday with an 85-55 victory over the St. Francis (Pa.) Red Flash in Blacksburg.

Like their last time out, the Hokies struggled a bit in the first half but turned things up in the second half to blow out their opponent. In Monday’s win over Radford, the Hokies held a 25-18 lead at halftime before breaking out in the second half for a convincing 65-39 victory.

On Thursday, Tech entered halftime with a solid 34-22 lead. But, the Hokies came out red-hot in the second half, outscoring the Red Flash, 51-33, to pull away for another easy win.

Senior forward Keve Aluma scored 18 points and pulled down seven rebounds, while junior guard Nahiem Alleyne scored 18 points for the Hokies.

Sophomore guard Darius Maddox scored a career-high 11 points off the bench. Sophomore forward David N’Guessan had a solid performance with seven points, eight rebounds, and three blocked shots. The development of Maddox and N’Guessan early this season is a positive development for head coach Mike Young and the Hokies.

Maddox made all four shots from the field, three of which were from beyond the arc — another encouraging sign for the Hokies.

Virginia Tech’s defense continues to be the story. The Hokies held St. Francis to just 33% shooting from the field and dominated the boards with a 42-30 advantage.

Sure, we can all say the Hokies haven’t played anyone yet. Although I would say Navy has a solid team. However, Virginia Tech is doing what it should be doing: beating up lesser teams. That’s what the good teams do.

The Hokies are back in action on Sunday against Merrimack before the schedule toughens with a game against Memphis in the NIT Season Tip-Off on Wednesday.