Hokies overcome sluggish offensive outing with dominant defense to conquer Campbell, 60-44

Raza Umerani

Staff Writer

November 15, 2023

Lynn Kidd's career-high 24 points and 15 rebounds helped the Hokies take down Campbell. (Virginia Tech Athletics)

BLACKSBURG – After a century of points in its season-opener at home, Virginia Tech seemed poised for another offensive explosion when it welcomed a meager Campbell squad into Cassell Coliseum.

While Tech’s defense was brilliant, a poor shooting performance ensured that would not be the case on Wednesday night.

The Hokies (2-1) were able to outlast the Fighting Camels (1-2) for a 60-44 victory in a contest that featured just nine total made three-pointers, with both teams shooting a combined 36-of-109 from the field – a measly 33%. 

“Bit of a tractor-pull offensively,” Tech head coach Mike Young said to reporters after the game. “I thought we got really good shots from people we want to get shots from. We had one of those nights. I didn't think the ball was sticking. I didn't think it was anything amiss. If that's my biggest concern, I'm in good shape.”

Although that side of the floor saw its struggles, Tech thrived on the other end, forcing 16 turnovers – 12 of which came in the first half – and holding Campbell to just 14-of-51 (27.5%) shooting, including 5-of-19 (26.3%) from beyond the arc. The Camels were held nearly seven minutes without a made field goal to start the game.

“Defensively, we were in great spots,” Young said. “I think our guys were quick to the ball. [They] did a great job with the very rare exception of four or five possessions. They didn't score on all of those.”

Campbell now has just 27 assists to a whopping 49 turnovers thus far this season, a trend that the Hokies were looking to take advantage of.

“We [wanted] to be aggressive on the ball,” Young said. “We wanted to deflect as many balls [as possible], just get a fingertip on the ball while they're passing or bouncing.”

Offensively, the Hokies were paced by a career outing from forward Lynn Kidd, who poured in 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting to go along with 15 rebounds – both game-highs and career-highs for the Clemson transfer. It was Kidd’s second career double-double, marking the first 15-rebound performance for a Hokie in over four seasons. 

“Confidence,” Young said when asked about what made the big man so effective. “[He] feels good about himself because [of] the work he's put in. He should feel good about his game. He takes great care of his body. He gets a proper amount of rest. [He’s] a serious player. [He] wants to continue doing it, and he's on his way.

“I think there comes a time in people's career… when the lights come on and [they say] 'hey, I can do this,' and that in turn generates a greater level of confidence from their teammates. He's a pretty good out for us late in the shot clock, [or] at any point in the shot clock, to flip that thing down there. I'll tell you something else he's going to do: if you double him, he's going to make the right play. He's going to throw that thing on a line to the other side for you know catch-and-shoot or an extra pass and a made three. So, [he's] doing a great job for us.”

Kidd was perhaps Tech’s lone bright spot offensively, as the rest of the team combined to shoot just 13-of-46 (28.2%) from the floor including a drab 1-of-11 from three-point land in the first half. The three-ball continues to plague Tech, which is shooting a mind-boggling 3-of-25 from beyond the arc in its last 40 minutes of first-half play after a 2-of-14 first half in its last game against South Carolina. 

Despite that, the Hokies feel confident that dominating down low can naturally help fix that issue. 

“Kind of like football, you want to establish a running game which sets up everything else,” Young said. “If you can establish that interior, that's a big deal. … And [Kidd] will continue to get more opportunities. You ring the bell, we'll load you up. We can get some things to you that will put you in the right spots and he's doing the rest.”

Guard Hunter Cattoor was the only other Hokie in double figures with 12 points, hitting four of his last five triples after starting the game 0-of-4. No other Tech player was able to hit a shot from distance.

The rest of the Tech backcourt left a lot to be desired as Sean Pedulla and MJ Collins combined to shoot 4-of-19 from the floor and 0-of-6 from three. However, Pedulla was able to dish out a game-high five assists – Collins dropped four of his own.

While offensive struggles were apparent in bunches, perhaps the Hokies can chalk them up to an early tipoff and a bit of a sleepy environment. That side of the ball has shown an ability to be great thus far in 2023-24.

On the flip side, Tech’s defensive improvement is a massive bright spot after a poor outing against South Carolina as the team continues to look to find its balance in the early goings of the young season.

Tech welcomes Wofford (2-1) to Blacksburg on Sunday evening (5:00 p.m. ET, ACC Network Extra) for Mike Young’s first game against his former team, while Campbell will look to bounce back when it hosts NC Central (2-2) on Monday night.