Senior Mylyjael Poteat powered inside for a career-high 19 points to propel slow-starting Virginia Tech to a 93-74 victory over South Carolina Upstate on Friday in Blacksburg, Va.
Brandon Rechsteiner, a sophomore, also notched his career high with 19 points while Tyler Johnson contributed 16 points off the bench as the Hokies (2-0) overcame an early 14-point deficit.
Jaydon Young added 14 points as Virginia Tech avoided falling to South Carolina Upstate for the second time in 11 years.
In 2013, in the Spartans’ seventh year as a Division I program, they notched their first win over a Power Six conference school, toppling the Hokies 64-63 in Blacksburg.
Mister Dean scored 20 points and Carmelo Adkins added 18 to pace South Carolina Upstate (1-2).
Karmani Gregory tallied 15 points and eight assists for the Spartans.
The Hokies overcame a cold start as they missed nine consecutive shots after making their first attempt.
The Spartans took full advantage, going on a 16-point run with half of the points delivered by Adkins. Gregory and Isaiah Skinner added 3-pointers as South Carolina Upstate surged to a 16-2 lead before the game was seven minutes old.
Late in the first half, the Hokies were down by 12 before they went on a 14-2 run to tie it.
Tobi Lawal, who finished with 10 points and eight rebounds, triggered the spree with a slam off an alley-oop feed from Johnson. When Young drilled a 3-pointer with 3:09 left in the half, it was tied at 28.
Jaden Schutt sparked Virginia Tech as he scored six points in the final 1:12 of the half to help the Hokies take a 37-32 lead into the break. Schutt finished with 10 points.
The Hokies remained in control in the second half, when they put up 56 points and built their lead to as many as 21 points.
The Hokies made 50 percent of their shots from the floor, while the Spartans hit 50.9 percent. South Carolina Upstate however, was plagued by 17 turnovers compared to seven for Virginia Tech.
–Field Level Media
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