Hokies Snap Seven-Game Skid, Beat Duke 78-75

By Will Locklin

Staff Writer

January 23, 2023

Virginia Tech's MJ Collins hit the game-winning shot in Monday night's 78-75 win over Duke. (Virginia Tech Athletics)

BLACKSBURG – With the game knotted up at 75 apiece and the Hokies’ chances at breaking their seven-game losing streak hanging in the balance, Tech needed to land the final punch. Duke guard Tyrese Proctor had just hit a stone cold three to tie the game, and on the ensuing possession, the Hokies went back to old reliable.

Grant Basile set the hard screen to free a zooming Hunter Cattoor who received a handoff from Justyn Mutts at the top of the key. The Blue Devils switched the action, a common theme for them in the second half, which allowed Cattoor to penetrate to the hole. Cattoor’s drive was shut off by a cheating corner defender but that opened up the pass to the ready MJ Collins, who attacked off the bounce with ferocity. In a blur, Collins blew by his man and stuck the pull-up jumper over two defenders to lift the Hokies up by two in the closing seconds.

“The sprawling metropolis of Clover, South Carolina,” Tech head coach Mike Young said postgame. “He’s [Collins] graduated to an elevated class status and isn’t playing like a freshman. …He fought his tail off and did a great job for our team, awfully proud of him.”

Even after Collins hit the big-time shot, he was asked to salt away the game at the free throw line after Tech rebounded a Duke miss. He went 1-of-2 from the line, which opened the door for one last prayer from the Blue Devils. However, that small crack was slammed shut by Cattoor, who stole the inbounds and emphatically threw the ball high into the Cassell Coliseum rafters as time expired. Virginia Tech (12-8, 2-7 ACC) defeated Duke (14-6, 5-4 ACC), 78-75, in Blacksburg to win its second ACC game and break its seven game losing streak.

“They earned it, played well enough to win before this one,” Young said. “Nice to see the fruits of your labor be recognized and rewarded.”

After a quick 7-0 run to open the game from Duke, Tech found its mojo that they’d previously lost from three-point territory. The Hokies were a scorching 7-of-10 from long range through the first 20 minutes, and were guided by Cattoor’s trifecta of first half triples.

“We looked awfully comfortable out there,” Young said. “The ball had energy, our spacing was quite good. We played the game the way it’s supposed to be played and we haven't done that as well over the last little bit.”

At the break, Tech had one of their most efficient offensive halves of the season and led Duke 45-38. While Red Panda electrified Hokie and Blue Devil fans alike, both teams made halftime adjustments that altered the course of the rest of the night.

“The threat they have is to shoot the ball well from three, tonight they were 7–of-10 in the first half so you have to adjust,” said Duke head coach Jon Scheyer. “We ended up switching probably more than we would have liked to so they took advantage of those switches.”

While Duke was climbing back and even took the lead from the Hokies with around eight minutes and change, Tech remained cool, calm and collected thanks to the efforts of Basile. From the time Duke tied the game at 63 with over eight minutes left to the three minute mark, Basile scored eight of 11 points for the Hokies in that stretch.

The Wright State transfer finished with a team-high 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds. Interestingly enough, only two of Basile’s 15 shots were threes. The adjustment to switch ball screens seemed to most effect Basile for the best.

“When they switch, that's what we have to do, punish people inside,” Basile said. “We were taking what was open and shared the ball really well.”

The script played out rather perfectly for the Hokies. In the first half, they buried the Blue Devils with a barrage of three-pointers, shooting over 50% for the game and 57% from the field for the game. The excellent spacing and play from the perimeter then opened up opportunities for Tech’s front court stars and guards to attack the rim and finish at will.

“We’re an unselfish team and so when we get the ball moving and don’t care who scores it’s a lot easier on all of us. We get a lot easier shots and we don’t have to force up shots at the end of the shot clock. Our motion was a lot better today,” Cattoor explained.

Cattoor finished with 15 points, all 10 of his shot attempts were from three and he canned five of those triple tries to lead the way as far as Tech’s guards go. Sean Pedulla returned to form as the sophomore point guard finished with 16 points and five assists. The Hokies guards altogether were 11-of-22 from the floor and were the difference maker in this game.

“Hunter Cattoor looked like Hunter Cattoor again. He was good at UVa, and I can’t play without him,” Young said. “Pedulla had his best game by far in quite some time as a floor general. He played a good basketball game for us.”

Virginia Tech now advances to 2-7 in ACC play and at long last breaks their seven-game losing streak. Tech’s 12-8 overall and have three potential quadrant one wins on the resume to put next to their name

Next up for the Hokies is a rematch versus Syracuse, this time Tech will host the Orange in Cassell Coliseum this Saturday. Tech is at a critical point in their 2022-23 campaign that will decide their season. But, just like last year, anything can happen for the Hokies when they’re at 2-7 in the ACC in late January.

“I believe we have the team, the coaching staff to make a run,” Collins said. “Some teams when faced with a losing streak will point fingers, but we’ve stuck together and tonight showed that we can get back on track.”