Hokies Jump on Lamar Early, Cruise to 35-Point Thrashing of the Cardinals

With much of the student body shuttered away in Newman Library preparing for final exams, the Hokies took on Lamar on Sunday afternoon at Cassell Coliseum and dominated from the opening tip. Perhaps with a bit of added confidence in tow following Wednesday's victory over southwest Virginia rival Radford at a quasi-hostile Dedmon Center, the Hokies cruised past the visiting Cardinals with an 88-53 victory.

"Momentum is the hardest thing to get in life. But it's harder to keep," said head coach Buzz Williams. "I think we do have a little bit of momentum."

Less than a month removed from their eye-opening home loss to Alabama State, this Hokies team was a vastly different-looking unit than the one who fell to a SWAC opponent in their season opener.

This Hokies team was the clear aggressor, one that jumped out to a 20-4 lead early and refused to look back.

This Hokies team got out in transition, attacked the offensive glass for easy buckets, and played with a passion on defense that Williams desperately longed for early in the season.

To put it simply, this Hokies team knew they were best team in the gym, and then went out and proved it.

And there's something to be said for that.

"We wanna blow teams out, no matter who they are," said Bibbs. "That's how we're growing as a team."

Bibbs paced the Hokies early and finished with 17 points, consistently beating Lamar from deep with the silky-smooth jumper that earned him a spot on the USA U19 team. Bibbs' game this year remains somewhat one-dimensional as he hasn't shown much of a scoring ability off the dribble, but with two-plus years left in Blacksburg to hone his craft, the sophomore guard's ceiling is remarkably high.

"When he's got ten toes to the rim, he's fairly accurate," said Williams. "He was last year too."

Devin Wilson started at the point for the Hokies and was an important steadying presence on both ends of the floor, one that Tech desperately needs whenever their young team gets sped up. Wilson, as he has a knack for doing, drew a charge late in the first half that earned an unsuspecting referee a playful slap on the butt from a gleeful Williams.

Seth Allen worked off the ball most of the afternoon and added 10 points and a career-high seven assists to the cause.

Chris Clarke had yet another solid performance, and Williams' efforts to reel in Clarke's dynamic — but often out of control — playmaking ability seems to be having a positive effect. Perhaps no play better demonstrated Clarke's individual growth than the game's first possession, one that saw Clarke attack the rim with fervor only to dish off to Bibbs in the corner for an uncontested three.

Fellow wing Jalen Hudson, known more for his slashing ability, knocked in two three-pointers and finished with 14 points, leaving Williams gushing about the talented sophomore's growth postgame.

"Proud of him. He's an easy guy to love," said Williams. "I think it's clicked. I don't tell him that. But I think it's starting to click on how hard you have to work everyday and how that has to become your habit."

Williams' eight-man rotation that featured just two bigs — Zach LeDay and Kerry Blackshear — was notable as well, especially given that Satchel Pierce and Shane Henry logged just 2 and 3 minutes respectively when the game was well out of reach. Both LeDay and Blackshear rewarded Williams' confidence in them with double-doubles (LeDay's sixth of the season), an encouraging sign for a team who had major question marks surrounding their interior play heading into the year. And while LeDay and Blackshear did play together in spurts, Williams often utilized a four-guard lineup made possible by a Lamar team whose three leading scorers are all listed at 6'1" or below.

On the defensive end, the Hokies turned in their best performance to date, holding Lamar to just a 33.33% clip from the field. Nick Garth, the Cardinals' leading scorer, had a hand in his face all afternoon and limped to a 4-13 shooting performance. And perhaps most importantly, the Hokies forced 20 Lamar turnovers and turned them into 21 points of their own.

"I think our staff has done a really good job with the scouting reports. That would be the first thing," said Williams of his team's improved defense. "I think the more reps that our players have had absorbing the scouting report the way we go about it, they're with each passing game improving."

After a 35-point drubbing, it's easy to pick out the deficiencies of the losing side. And admittedly, Lamar, especially when forced to play on back-to-back days, isn't exactly a powerhouse. But at 5-3 (now 5-4), Lamar isn't to be scoffed at.

This win, much like Wednesday's victory over Radford, represents growth.

And for a program that's grown all too accustomed to the bottom of the ACC standings, growth is a welcome sight.