BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Virginia Tech went on a 20-3 run late in the first half to create separation and pulled away with some hot shooting and balanced scoring for a 93-60 victory over Cornell on Wednesday evening at Cassell Coliseum. The Hokies improved to 7-3 on the season, while the Big Red slipped to 8-2.

Virginia Tech shot 54 percent from the floor overall and 52 percent from 3-point range (12-of-23) with seven players scoring in double figures. Keve Aluma (16 points, five rebounds), Darius Maddox (14 points, four rebounds) and Nahiem Alleyne (13 points) led the way, while Sean Pedulla and Hunter Cattoor each posted 11 and Justyn Mutts (10 points, eight rebounds, four assists) and David N'Guessan (10 points, nine rebounds) both narrowly missed double-doubles. Virginia Tech held a 40-23 edge on the glass.


Kobe Dickson and Guy Ragland Jr. each had 11 points to lead Cornell, while Nazir Williams posted four points and five assists off the bench. Ragland hit his first three 3-pointers of the contest, all in the first half, to set a new Big Red record with nine consecutive 3-point makes. The Big Red assisted on 16 of 20 baskets and collected seven steals, but were uncharacteristically cold from the floor (39 percent) and from beyond the arc (31 percent).
 

First Half

• Virginia Tech won the tip, but Chris Manon poked the ball away and Jordan Jones kicked it back ahead to Manon for a layup and a foul to give the Big Red a 3-0 lead just six seconds into the contest.
• The was the high points, as Virginia Tech scored the next five and never surrendered the lead.
• Guy Ragland Jr. hit a pair of 3-pointers 40 seconds apart to get the visitors within 19-18.
• Keller Boothby drained his second 3-pointer of the half two minutes later to make it a 25-24 Hokies lead.
• Cornell got consecutive stops and took 3-pointers to regain the lead, but both missed and the home team took advantage.
• A 9-0 Virginia Tech run over 2:37 gave the Hokies a double figure lead, with that run stretching to 20-3 to put the home team up 45-27 with 1:49 to play before halftime.
• Four straight by Kobe Dickson, including a funk on a feed from Nazir Williams, cut the lead to 14, but Sean Pedulla finished in the lane just before the halftime buzzer and the Big Red went to the locker room trailing 47-31.
 

Second Half

• Cornell couldn't generate much in the second half, as Virginia Tech hit 8-of-14 from beyond the arc, led by as many as 36 and cruised over the final 20 minutes.
• The Big Red earned a pair of free throws on the first possession and Sarju Patel converted to get back within 14.
• Virginia Tech answered with a 7-0 run that all but sealed the Big Red's fate.
• No Cornell player had more than five second half points with the visitors posting a season-low 29 points in a half.

Up Next

• Cornell will play its final home game prior to the holidays when it welcomes Bryant to Newman Arena on Sunday, Dec. 19 at 5:30 p.m.
• The game will be the second of a doubleheader that begins with a 2 p.m. contest between the Cornell women and Washington State.
• The Big Red leads the all-time series 2-1, though the Bulldogs won the last meeting 82-81 on Nov. 10, 2019.