Virginia Tech basketball: Hokies fall to Dayton

The Virginia Tech Hokies dropped to 7-4 on the season after Sunday’s 62-57 loss to Dayton. It was Tech’s fourth loss in six games, and shooting woes once again plagued the Hokies in the first half.

The Flyers went into halftime with a 29-22 lead. At one point in the first half, Dayton held a 12-point lead, but the Hokies trimmed the deficit just before halftime.

Howeve, Dayton came out of the second half red hot, going on an 18-7 run to extend their lead to 47-29. The 18-point gap seemed insurmountable for a struggling Virginia Tech team. But, slowly the Hokies came back as Dayton went cold from the field, allowing the Hokies to chip away at the lead. Eventually, the Hokies had the lead down to five but that was as close as it would get and the Flyers held on for the win.

First-half issues have been an issue for each of their losses this season. And, outside of the Wake Forest loss, the Hokies came back late in the second half. Virginia Tech had dug a hole too deep against Dayton.

Keve Aluma and Hunter Cattoor led the Hokies with 14 points apiece. Justyn Mutts scored eight points and finished with 10 rebounds.

Nahiem Alleyne struggled, shooting one of 10 from the field, and scoring only two points. Storm Murphy scored eight points and dished out five assists.

Freshman R.J. Blakney scored a career-high 19 points to lead Dayton. Blakney connected on all five of his 3-point attempts. He was a 31% career 3-point shooter entering the game.

Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young needs to play freshman point guard Sean Pedulla and Darius Maddox more, as Murphy’s struggles continue to plague the Hokies.

Next up for Virginia Tech is St. Bonaventure on Friday.