By: Rodrigo Aviles

The Hokies were back in action against the Chattanooga Mocs looking to bounce back after their loss against Duke and snap their three-game losing streak. After a relatively tough game, the Hokies emerged victorious at the final buzzer.
The Mocs were coming off a huge 48-point victory over Tennessee Wesleyan. Matt Ryan had been leading the Mocs throughout the season. Ryan came into the game averaging 15 points, and had reached 18 points in the previous three games.
The first 10 minutes of the half saw both teams go back and forth. Virginia Tech were doing well to get the offensive rebounds, getting nine compared to one for Chattanooga. The Hokies also had 14 second chance points and the Mocs only had one. The offensive rebounding did allow the Hokies to put up more shots than the Mocs. However, Chattanooga were shooting at 45 percent from the field compared to 38 for Virginia Tech. The Mocs also shot 40 percent from the three compared to 23 percent for the Hokies.
Nahiem Alleyne was the catalyst of the Hokie’s offense in the first half. Alleyne was 50 percent from the three, had 13 points, and three rebounds to his name. The Hokies started to pull away in the last 10 minutes of the first. Alleyne hit two threes to help the Hokies take a 30-21 lead with about three minutes left. Chattanooga responded with a seven-point run in the last two minutes of the half to close the Hokie’s lead to four. The Hokies ended the half leading 32-28. In the second half, the game still remained close. Ramon Villa was the heartbeat of the Moc’s offense throughout the game. He ended the game with 12 points, eight rebounds, and two assists. The Hokie defense did a good job shutting down Matt Ryan. They held Ryan to only two points in the whole game. Once again, the Hokies started to extend their lead in the last couple minutes of the half. Alleyne finished the night with 22 points, and Landers Nolley II had 19 points to his name. This time, the Mocs had no response for the Hokie offense. Wabissa Bede hit a dagger three with a minute left to help seal the game for the Hokies. The Hokies only outscored the Mocs by one point in the second half but got 63-58 victory in the end. The Hokies will get ready to receive the Gardner-Webb Running Bulldogs. The Running Bulldogs will take on Kennesaw State on Friday before making the trip to Blacksburg. The Hokies will look to follow this performance with another victory on Sunday.