Radford Highlanders vs Virginia Tech Hokies Match Player Stats On Nov 15, 2021

On a sluggish night of disjointed basketball, Virginia Tech turned to its most experienced hands for a win over neighboring foe Radford.

Storm Murphy scored 17 points and Justyn Mutts added 11 points and eight rebounds as the Hokies topped the Highlanders 65-39 on Monday night in Blacksburg, Va.

Murphy, a four-year starter at Wofford who came to Virginia Tech as a grad transfer, hit 4 of 5 shots from beyond the arc. Mutts, also a grad student and a former starter at both High Point and Delaware, combined with Murphy for the highlight of the second half when he slammed home Murphy's alley-oop feed.

Virginia Tech (3-0) also got 10 points from Keve Aluma, while Hunter Cattoor added seven points and a game-high nine rebounds to help Mike Young celebrate his 600th game as a Division I head coach. Young's record stands at 333-267.

Radford (1-2) got eight points from South Florida transfer Rashun Williams. The Highlanders struggled badly on offense, committing 18 turnovers and hitting just 28 percent from the floor, which included a 2-of-24 performance from 3-point range.

Midway through the second half, Murphy keyed an eight-point surge that put the Hokies up 49-28. In between hitting a pair of baskets, one a 3-pointer, Murphy fed Darius Maddox for a corner trey.

Virginia Tech took the lead for good with a 13-0 run in the first half. Mutts triggered it with a 3-pointer and added a put-back of his own miss. The Hokies weren't efficient during the spree, wasting several offensive opportunities. But at the other end of the floor, they played rabid defense, forcing three turnovers and hounding the Highlanders into 13 consecutive field-goal misses, including seven from beyond the arc, during the 9:19 span.

The run gave Virginia Tech a 20-7 lead, but with the hosts' offensive woes continuing, Radford slowly worked its way back into the game. With Camron McNeil and Williams driving for three-point plays, Radford got the deficit back to single digits by the half, 25-18.

--Field Level Media