Virginia Tech basketball: Hokies breeze past Lehigh to move to 2-0

The Virginia Tech Hokies moved to 2-0 on the season Thursday with a 78-52 win over the Lehigh Mountain Hawks.

Senior forward Justyn Mutts missed Virginia Tech’s season-opening win over Delaware State Monday due to a silly NCAA suspension. On Thursday, Mutts debuted against Lehigh, scoring 16 points and pulling down 11 boards.

As good as Mutts was, he wasn’t Virginia Tech’s top star in its win over Lehigh. Sophomore point guard Sean Pedulla scored 20 points to lead the Hokies and did not turn the ball over in 33 minutes of play.

Forward Grant Basile, who led the Hokies with 30 points and 10 rebounds in the opener, finished with 11 points and eight rebounds in the win.

With Mutts back in the lineup, junior center Lynn Kidd came off the bench for Tech. Kidd and Mylyjael Poteat combined to give the Hokies 12 points and five rebounds off the bench.

Senior guard Hunter Cattoor, the 2023 ACC Tournament MVP, scored six points for the second consecutive game. For Cattoor, there’s nothing to worry about, as the Hokies have won handily in both games, and it’s not like Cattoor is missing a bunch of shots. He only took four shots in Thursday’s win.

Tech’s defense was excellent. The Hokies forced 11 turnovers, and the Mountain Hawks shot just 36% from the floor. Lehigh made only five of 21 3-point attempts.

Meanwhile, VT shot 52.5% from the floor. However, the Hokies made just five of 18 3-pointers. They shot 50% from beyond the arc in the opener.

Next up for the Hokies is William & Mary on Sunday evening from Cassell Coliseum.

Check out this postgame interview with Mutts, who was happy to be back on the court.