Virginia Tech weathered an off-day from its top two scorers to defeat Charlotte 84-76 in Blacksburg, Va., on Sunday to win its fourth consecutive game to start the season.
Neoklis Avdalas and Amani Hansberry entered Sunday averaging 18.3 points per game to pace Virginia Tech. They combined for just 19 points in 54 minutes.
Jailen Bedford led the Hokies with 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the field, including four of the hosts’ 10 3-pointers.
Charlotte (2-2) entered the game shooting 41.3% from 3-point range, while Virginia Tech shot 38.6% from long range. After making just six of 21 3-pointers against Davidson on Tuesday, the 49ers again struggled from beyond the arc. They made only seven of 23 3-point attempts against the Hokies.
Three of Charlotte’s top offensive options struggled to find their rhythm. Ben Bradford, Major Freeman and Dezayne Mingo — the 49ers’ top three scorers — combined for 29 points and made 10 of their 33 field-goal attempts.
The teams traded scoring runs to end the first half.
Bradford went on a personal 6-0 run to cut the Hokies’ lead to 33-30. Virginia Tech responded with consecutive 3-pointers and five made free throws to enter halftime with a 44-32 lead.
With 15:37 remaining in regulation, Jaden Schutt made a 3-pointer to extend the Hokies’ lead to 17. Over the next six minutes, Charlotte stormed back with a 19-3 scoring run.
A trio of consecutive 3-pointers put the 49ers within eight, then two more threes made it a 58-57 contest with 9:31 left.
After a poor shooting day, Hansberry came alive in the final seven minutes. He converted two pairs of free throws to grow Virginia Tech’s lead to six. Avdalas iced the game at the foul line, converting six straight free throws to give Virginia Tech a 77-67 lead.
