Two teams hoping to maintain their unblemished records will meet on Thursday afternoon when Virginia Tech faces Saint Mary’s in the semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise Island, Bahamas.
Virginia Tech improved to 6-0 for the first time since 2019-20 with a 66-64 win over Colorado State in the opening round of play on Wednesday.
The Hokies will need another strong defensive effort to beat Saint Mary’s, which is 7-0 for the second straight season. Paulius Murauskas led the Gaels with 20 points and Mikey Lewis added 15 in a 70-65 victory over Wichita State on Wednesday.
Saint Mary’s won despite shooting 12.5% (2 of 16) from 3-point range, well below its season average (42.1). The Gaels’ perimeter shooting could be the difference against Virginia Tech, which averages 87.8 points per game.
Saint Mary’s will be tested by a Hokies defense that held Colorado State to 21.1% (4 of 19) shooting from beyond the arc and kept the Rams off the foul line.
Colorado State began the tournament ranked sixth in the nation in 3-point percentage and third in free-throw rate.
“That was the two biggest keys to the game coming in,” Virginia Tech coach Mike Young said. “We could not allow them to come in here and bang 10 threes, and they’re very capable. We limited them to four makes, and they were only 6 of 8 from the foul line, so what a remarkable job from our team.”
Jailen Bedford scored 17 points to lead the Hokies, while Tyler Johnson had nine points and 12 rebounds.
Thursday’s matchup will be the first ever between Virginia Tech and Saint Mary’s, but Young is well aware of the impressive resume compiled by longtime Gaels coach Randy Bennett.
Now in his 25th season with Saint Mary’s, Bennett has guided his team to the NCAA Tournament in each of the past four years.
“He’s a terrific basketball coach,” Young said. “I don’t know Coach Bennett very well. We visited here in the hotel. I’ve seen him on the road for many years. He’s elite, he’s terrific.”
–Field Level Media
