National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Virginia Tech 87, MD Baltimore County 70
When: 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Where: Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, Virginia
Officials: # Tim Nestor, # Jerry Heater, # Wally Rutecki
Attendance: 5458

Sophomore guard Chris Clarke recorded a double-double and paced a balanced Virginia Tech attack, leading the Hokies past visiting Maryland-Baltimore County 87-70 Wednesday at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va.

Clarke finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds, and senior forward Zach LeDay scored 14 points, grabbed nine rebounds, handed out four assists and blocked four shots off the bench for the Hokies (11-1), who improved to 8-0 at home this season.

That perfect record at home will be tested Saturday, when Virginia Tech opens ACC play against No. 5 Duke.

Junior guard Jarius Lyles finished with 21 points, and junior guard Jourdan Grant added 11 points for the Retrievers (9-4) off the bench. UMBC hit 14 of 15 free throws, but shot just 36.2 percent from the field and connected on only 6 of 24 3-point attempts.

Virginia Tech hit 11 3-pointers, four each from sophomore guard Justin Robinson and senior guard Seth Allen. Allen finished with 17 points off the bench, and Robinson had 12 points and five rebounds.

LeDay, the Hokies' leading scorer, had a block followed by a dunk that pushed the Virginia Tech lead to 18 midway through the second half.

Virginia Tech locked down UMBC in the first half, holding the Retrievers to 25.0 percent shooting. The Hokies closed the first half with a 21-9 run, capped by a 3-pointer by Allen, that sent Virginia Tech into intermission with a 40-27 lead.

UMBC never seriously threatened in the second half and had their two-game winning streak snapped.

The Retrievers, coached by former Virginia Tech assistant Ryan Odom, open American East Conference play Jan. 5 against Binghamton.
Top Game Performances
 
MD Baltimore County   Virginia Tech
Jairus Lyles 21 Scoring Chris Clarke 22
K.J. Maura 5 Assists Seth Allen 4
Jairus Lyles 8 Rebounds Chris Clarke 12
Will Darley 4 Free Throws Made Chris Clarke 4
K.J. Maura 2 Steals Chris Clarke 2
Arkel Lamar 3 Blocks Zach LeDay 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
MD Baltimore County 70 36.2 6-24 14-15 8 36 4 6 16
Virginia Tech 87 49.2 11-28 12-20 14 43 6 6 14