Fighting Gobbler
Fansided

Virginia Tech Hokies Beat The Citadel 64-61

By Tim Thomas

facebooktwitterreddit

Dec 20, 2014; Blacksburg, VA, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies forward Shane Henry (0) celebrates with fans after beating the Citadel Bulldogs at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

The Virginia Tech Hokies entered this game against the Citadel Bulldogs looking to extend their winning streak to two games and improve their record to 6-4. The Citadel was looking to win on the road at a current ACC school for the first time since 1969, and the Bulldogs put in a great effort in this game.

However, it wasn’t enough in the end to take down the Hokies in a very close game.

Virginia Tech found a way to win a very close game against the Citadel 64-61 on an afternoon in which the Hokies shot 41.8% from the field and a very bad 18.8% from beyond the arc. The Citadel struggled shot a worse 33.9% from the field but were much better from beyond the arc shooting 38.2% from three.

The Hokies gave up a lot of open three-point shots in this game and the Citadel made enough of those to make this game a lot more interesting. Virginia Tech will need to improve its perimeter defense or the Hokies could deal with more close games that shouldn’t be as close.

However, the Hokies haven’t had a close victory like this one, and even though it came against the Citadel, it still has to be a big confidence boost to win a game this close. The Hokies will need to win some close games in ACC play if they are going to be able to avoid finishing last in the conference, and today’s victory is proof that this team can win close games.

Adam Smith only shot 5 of 16 from the field and 2 of 7 from beyond the arc but the redshirt junior guard was effective having 16 points. Smith did force some shots and that is why Smith’s field goal percentage was as low as it was in this game. However, Smith was effective making his free throws as he was 4 of 5 from the free throw line.

Joey Van Zegeren did some damage on the offensive end in the post with 10 points from 5 field goals. Van Zegeren is developing a very good hook shot which was fairly effective in this game. Van Zegeren also had 5 rebounds but Virginia Tech will need him to be better on the glass.

One thing the Hokies did a great job of doing was attacking the rim as over half of Virginia Tech’s points were right around the glass. The Hokies are willing to turn a rebound into a quick transition bucket, and opposing teams are going to have to make sure their transition defense is ready before facing the Hokies.

Shane Henry didn’t play much in this game but played some strong defense down the stretch and had 2 blocks including one on a three-pointer that seemed to be very open. Henry brings a lot of energy whenever he is on the floor and is proving to be a great defensive player that can help the Hokies hold on to leads.

Buzz Williams knows that this team is still a work in progress but will likely start to use more regular lineups with only two more games till Virginia Tech travels to Morgantown to take on West Virginia.

More from Fighting Gobbler