Virginia Tech Hokies Beat Alabama A&M 65-55

Dec 14, 2014; Blacksburg, VA, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies forward Christian Beyer (22) drives to the basket while being defended by Alabama A&M Bulldogs forward Ladarius Tabb (23) in the first half at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Michael Shroyer-USA TODAY Sports

Entering this game, the Virginia Tech Hokies were hoping to take care of business after having a very disappointing loss to the Radford Highlanders. The Hokies are a young team but games like this should be easy victories for teams like Virginia Tech even with all of their youth and inexperience.

There were some close points in the second half, but the Hokies seemed in control for most of the afternoon on their way to the victory.

The Hokies defeated the Alabama A&M Bulldogs 65-55 in a game in which the Hokies were solid for much of the afternoon other than a few minutes very early in each half. The Hokies were never able to regain a big lead in the second half once Alabama A&M got the lead down to around 10 points but were able to control the game.

The Hokies were dominated on the boards with Alabama A&M having 42 rebounds and 21 offensive rebounds compared to Virginia Tech’s 28 rebounds and 12 offensive rebounds. However, the Hokies dominated in the turnover department as they only had 8 on the day while they forced 18.

More from Fighting Gobbler

Christian Beyer was the star of the game as he was a part of a surprising starting lineup that also included Will Johnston, Justin Bibbs, Ahmed Hill, and Adam Smith. However, Beyer had the best game of his collegiate career with 13 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. Beyer, along with Johnston, Bibbs, and Hill, played the whole first half and a decent amount of the second half in what was a great performance.

Justin Bibbs didn’t have the best day shooting the basketball but he was still productive with 11 points while Shane Henry had a strong game with 6 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks. The Hokies ended the first half with a 17-0 run that became a 20-0 run in the second half before Alabama A&M was able to get a shot to go.

Buzz Williams has to be pleased with the way his team played together, and it will be interesting to see the lineups he uses over the next few games before they travel to Morgantown to face West Virginia. The final score might not include as big of a margin as hoped for but this is still a solid win for a young Virginia Tech team.