Hunter Kattore and Lynn Kidd each scored 19 points, Sean Pedula added 18 points, and Virginia Tech defeated Boise State 82-75 in Thursday night’s ESPN Event Invitational.
Kattoa made 5 of 10 3-pointers and 4 of 5 free throws for the Hokies (4-1). Kidd made 6 of 8 shots, made all 7 of his foul shots and added 6 rebounds. Pedula had seven assists and six rebounds. Tyler Nickell came off the bench and recorded 14 points and 4 rebounds.
Tyson Degenhart had 18 points and eight rebounds against the Broncos (2-2). Chibuzo Agbo totaled 15 points and he grabbed 9 boards. Omar Stanley hit two 3-point tries off the bench and scored 13 points. Max Rice scored 12 points, but he committed six of Boise State’s 16 turnovers.
Cattore scored 12 points and Kidd added 11 points, giving Virginia Tech a 44-41 lead at halftime. Degenhart scored 11 points to keep Boise State close. The Hokies sank 12 of 13 free throws to build a halftime advantage, while the Broncos made 2 of 4 free throws.
Agbo made a 3-pointer followed by a layup to give Boise State a 52-49 lead with 15:07 left. Tyler Nickel sank the second of two free throws with 8:04 left to give the Hokies a 61-60 lead, Kidd followed with two free throws and a dunk, and Virginia Tech took the lead from there. I kept it.
Virginia Tech finished with 47.3% of the total and Boise State with 47.4%. The Hokies shot 38.9 percent from long range to the Broncos’ 38.1 percent. The Hokies were 23-of-27 from the foul line, while Boise State was 13-of-16.
Virginia Tech will play Iowa State on Friday. Boise State will play VCU on Friday.
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