Virginia Tech was once again sloppy in the first half, looking the opposite of what they’ve built up to this point this season. The game got off to a good start and the Hokies took a 16-10 lead, but California went on a 19-2 run to take the game away. Virginia Tech put up some points at halftime to try to tie the game, but Cal, the worst rebounding team in the conference, outscored the Hokies, one of the best rebounding teams in the conference, 19-8 in the first half, including nine offensive rebounds.

The second half saw an increase in the Hokies’ effort in almost every aspect. Although the shots didn’t fall, the turnovers went down, the rebounds went up, and the Golden Bears finished the final game 31-28. The game was a back-and-forth affair for most of the game, with Cal taking a six-point lead with 6:31 remaining, but from then on, momentum went to the Hokies. Virginia Tech had some clutch baskets and made enough free throws down the stretch to clinch a 78-75 victory and protect their home court.

Virginia Tech played a seven-man rotation in this game, with six players scoring in double digits. It was a total team effort for the Hokies with no one player truly standing out in the scoring department on the night. Neo Abdallas helped get the Hokies going, scoring 11 points and dishing out 6 assists in the game. Virginia Tech made 23 field goals in the game, and Avdalas scored or assisted on 11 of them, giving him 48%. Amani Hansberry was the leading scorer and got better as the game went on, finishing with 15 points and nine rebounds.

Jalen Bedford didn’t have the best shooting night, but still finished with 13 points and four rebounds. Christian Gurdak had 12 points, three rebounds and two steals. Jaden Schutt had a bit of a slump, but was back in double digits with 11 points. Tobi Lawal then finished with 11 points and 7 rebounds. Ben Hammond was the only player not to score in double figures, but he made some clutch plays late in the game to help the Hokies extend their lead, finishing the game with six points and three assists.

The Hokies did a good job of drawing fouls and getting to the line. Two of the Golden Bears’ big men fouled out by the end of the game, and Mark Madsen had to get creative with his lineup down the stretch to pull the game back. Virginia Tech shot 31 free throws in the game and made 27 of them, a 90% success rate, and used its aggressiveness to attack the basket and come back in the second half. Cal held the lead for 61% of the game and the Hokies held the lead for just 26% of the time, including the first seven minutes of the game. The Golden Bears did a really good job of applying pressure and showed why their defense is highly regarded, but Virginia Tech was able to take advantage of the downhill stretch.

Dai Dai Ames was Cal’s leading scorer and gave the Hokies fits throughout the game, finishing with 21 points and two assists while going 8-12 from the field. Virginia Tech struggled with its quickness in the lane, and every switch ended with Ames attacking the basket. Chris Bell added 12 points on the wing and was quiet for much of the game after a busy start to the second half.

Outside of Ames, Justin Pippen was the player who carried the ball the most, but Virginia Tech did a really good job on him defensively. Pippen finished with 11 points and three assists, but had four turnovers and shot 4-of-18 from the field, including 1-of-8 from the perimeter. Lee Dort had 10 points and seven rebounds in the post before fouling out. Milos Ilic was once again a strong post producer off the bench with 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. The bigger story may be that Virginia Tech was able to hold John Camden, who averaged 14 points, to just two points.

Both teams took hard shots, but the defensive stops may tell as much of a story as the offensive exploits. Virginia Tech shot just 21.7 percent from three and never looked comfortable getting beyond the arc through 23 attempts. Cal was better than that, shooting 30% from beyond the arc, most of which came during big runs in the first half. Both teams had their best success attacking and creating the basket after getting into the lane.

Virginia Tech needed this win to get back on track and feel more confident after two tough losses in the final moments. For Mike Young, getting a win like that should feel good, even if he wasn’t happy with how close the game ended. The Hokies’ win improves their record to 13-4 (2-2) on the season, with an away game against SMU scheduled for Wednesday night. California has fallen to 13-4 (1-3) on the season, but has a tough homestand ahead as Duke and North Carolina travel across the country to play the Golden Bears this week.