National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Virginia Tech 78, Miami (OH) 63
When: 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Where: Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya, Riviera Maya
Officials: # Ken Clark, # Peter Juzenas, # Darryl Smith
Attendance: 650

Virginia Tech 78, Miami (Ohio) 63: Adam Smith scored 26 points off the bench and freshman Justin Bibbs added a career-high 22 as the Hokies rolled over the RedHawks in the Cancun Challenge Riviera Division third-place game.

Joey Van Zegeren added eight points and a team-high nine rebounds for Virginia Tech (3-2), which posted its highest point total of the season in snapping a two-game losing streak. The Hokies connected on a season-best 10 3-pointers in 19 attempts, with Smith hitting 5-of-6 from long range.

Zach McCormick had 12 points and Will Sullivan and Eric Washington added nine apiece for Miami (2-3), which turned the ball over 22 times. Second-leading scorer Geovonie McKnight struggled for the second straight game, hitting 2-of-7 shots and finishing with four points.

Virginia Tech took a 39-17 lead into the second half and showed there would be no letdown with Bibbs hitting a 3-pointer 11 seconds into the period. The RedHawks pulled within 43-28 on a McCormick trey, but the Hokies slammed the door with a 24-10 run that gave them their biggest lead at 67-38 with a little more than nine minutes to play.

After a sluggish start on both ends of the floor, Miami took a 7-3 lead, but the Hokies got going and surged ahead 15-9 via a 12-2 run over the ensuing four minutes. The Hokies led 24-15 with a little less than six minutes to play when Smith heated up in a hurry, scoring 13 points in a 15-2 half-closing spree that gave the Hokies their 22-point cushion at the break.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Washington, Miami’s third leading scorer at 10.3 points, sat out the first half as punishment for showing up late to a team meeting earlier Wednesday. … Virginia Tech, which was on the low end of an 18-3 free-throw differential in Tuesday’s semifinal loss to Northern Iowa, enjoyed an 18-8 advantage Wednesday. … Miami had 20 assists and 34 turnovers in its two Cancun losses.

Top Game Performances
 
Miami (OH)   Virginia Tech
Zach McCormick 12 Scoring Adam Smith 26
Eric Washington 6 Assists Justin Bibbs 3
Chris Bryant 6 Rebounds Joey Van Zegeren 9
Chris Bryant 4 Free Throws Made Justin Bibbs 5
Logan McLane 3 Steals Malik Muller 2
LJ Livingston 2 Blocks Jalen Hudson 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Miami (OH) 63 43.4 9-18 8-13 14 20 4 11 22
Virginia Tech 78 49.0 10-19 18-24 9 33 4 7 22