Virginia Tech dominated Maryland-Eastern Shore 82-53 on Sunday in Blacksburg, with Neoklis Avdalas fueling the surge. Avdalas poured in 11 of his 16 points after halftime, helping the Hokies outscore the Hawks by 20 in the second half and seal the win. He also chipped in seven assists as Tech pulled away. Christian Gurdak contributed 13 points and eight rebounds, while Tyler Johnson and Amani Hansberry each added 12 points; Hansberry tallied nine boards as well. Ben Hammond finished with 10 points for the Hokies (10-2), who extended their winning streak to four and remained undefeated at home (7-0).
For UMES (4-11), Dorion Staples and Christopher Flippin led with seven points apiece, as the Hawks dropped their fifth consecutive game.
The second half sparked Tech’s decisive run. Avdalas scored seven points and Gurdak added six in the opening eight minutes of the period, helping the Hokies push ahead by double digits and reach a 55-39 lead by the 12-minute media timeout. A rapid 15-1 burst over a four-minute stretch widened the gap to 26 points with five minutes to play.
In the first half, the game featured five ties and two lead changes before Tech seized the lead for good on a Gurdak basket with under nine minutes left. The Hokies closed the half strong, outscoring the Hawks 12-5 over the final five minutes, with five points from Johnson to secure a 38-29 edge at the break.
Team shooting reflected the balance. Virginia Tech connected on 54% from the floor and hit 11 of 24 from three-point range, while UMES shot 37% for the game.
Upcoming schedule: Maryland-Eastern Shore will travel to Wagner on Wednesday. Virginia Tech hosts Elon on Saturday.
Follow-up note: If you’d like, I can adjust the tone further (more casual or more formal), add a brief player spotlight, or convert this into a game recap with a tighter 150-200 word length.
