November 10, 2006

Virginia Tech-Coppin State box score

Virginia Tech 94, Coppin State 43

 

BLACKSBURG - The Virginia Tech men's basketball team began its quest to earn an NCAA Tournament bid by opening its season in dominating fashion, jumping out to a 16-2 lead and never looking back in cruising to an easy 94-43 non-conference victory at Cassell Coliseum on Friday night in the season opener for both teams. With the win, the Hokies improved to 4-0 in openers under head coach Seth Greenberg.

Tech, which returns five starters, used its talent and a deep, athletic bench to overwhelm Coppin State. The Hokies took a 16-2 lead on a 3-pointer by A.D. Vassallo with 13:16 left in the first half, and ended up leading by 30, 44-14, at halftime. Greenberg played his entire roster in the first half, and they all played well, hitting 56.7 percent from the floor, drilling 8-of-13 from behind the 3-point arc, out-rebounding Coppin State by a margin of 26-14, and holding Coppin State to just 14 points - the fewest a Tech team has allowed in a half under Greenberg.

And the second half was pretty much the same. For the game, the Hokies shot 48.6 percent from the floor, made 12 3-pointers and out-rebounded Coppin State 51-32. But more impressively, Tech amassed 23 assists, with guards Zabian Dowdell and Jamon Gordon dishing out seven and six, respectively.

"I think the thing I'm most pleased about is with how unselfish we were," Greenberg said. "We continually made the extra pass, and to me, that's a very good sign long-term.

"This has got to be just the starting point. Our guys have to understand how hard we have to work. I told our guys, 'If you continue to work, this could be your time.' But this has got to be just a starting point, and it starts with being unselfish, playing hard, playing together and trusting each other. We did that tonight. Now, we've got to get better."

Dowdell paced five Tech players in double figures with 16 points, hitting 6-of-15 from the floor and 2-of-6 from beyond the arc. Vassallo added 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting (three 3-pointers) despite playing just 12 minutes. , Coleman Collins chipped in 11 and 10 boards, Deron Washington had 12, and Gordon 10 for the Hokies.

Eleven of the 12 players on Tech's roster played at least 10 minutes, and every player scored with the exception of sophomore Cheick Diakite, who did pull down 10 rebounds, dish out two assists and block a shot in 19 minutes.

Tywain McKee led Coppin State with 10 points. He was the lone Coppin State player in double figures.

The Hokies stay at home for their next game as they take on West Florida on Tuesday night. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.