Virginia Tech defense wears down Winthrop, 58-52, in men’s basketball

Virginia Tech came up with big plays down the stretch Monday night and held off visiting Winthrop 58-52 in a men’s basketball defensive struggle.

The Eagles (2-1) led at halftime, were tied midway in the second half, and had a chance to tie the game in the final minute.

But the Hokies (3-0) used their size to make a couple big stops and prevent Winthrop from pulling even at the end.

“We needed to take a quantum leap forward tonight defensively, because that’s a good team,” Virginia Tech coach Mike Young said of Winthrop.

Winthrop’s Kasen Harrison and K.C. Doucet both had big nights, with Harrison scoring 19 points and Doucet adding 17. Harrison hit 8-of-14 from the floor, and Doucet made 7-of-12.

But the rest of the Winthrop team shot 16% (5-of-32).

Virginia Tech was up 18-14 with about seven minutes left in the first half, but Winthrop went on an 8-0 run to take a 25-23 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The second half remained close until Virginia Tech went on a 5-0 run to go up 40-34 with a little less than 11 minutes remaining. Harrison then scored five straight points, cutting the Hokies’ lead to one point. The Eagles added a free throw a short time later and tied the game 42-42.

Patrick Wessler, a 7-foot-2 center who grew up in the Charlotte area, then hit a second-chance basket that triggered an 8-0 Hokies’ run for a 50-42 advantage.

Winthrop battled back, cutting the deficit to six points with 1:07 remaining, and got within 55-52 on a 3-pointer by Doucet with 59 seconds left.

The Eagles got a defensive stop on Virginia Tech’s next possession, but the Hokies forced Winthrop to take an off-balance shot on the next possession. Virginia Tech got the rebound and scored its remaining three points on free throws.

Neither team shot well, with Winthrop hitting 34.5% from the floor and Virginia Tech making 33.3%. The Hokies used their size to build a rebounding edge of 27-21, including 11 offensive boards.

Winthrop is back in action Friday, Saturday and Sunday, when the Eagles host the three-day Rock Hill Classic at the Rock Hill Sports and Event Center The Eagles will face William & Mary at 5 p.m. Friday. Also playing in the round-robin event are Georgia Southern and N.C. Central.