Virginia Tech 69, #23 Providence 57
by Chris Coleman, 2/4/04
Blacksburg, VA -- The Virginia Tech Hokies (9-10, 2-6) used a strong defensive effort combined with great offensive performances by Bryant Matthews and Coleman Collins to snap a five game losing streak and upset #23 Providence (14-5, 5-3) Wednesday night at Cassell Coliseum, 69-57. Collins, a 17 year old freshman, finished the game with 21 points and 9 rebounds, both career highs. Bryant Matthews had yet another double-double for the Hokies, with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
Virginia Tech came into this game knowing that they would have to play very well on the offensive end to beat a Providence team that employs the 2-3 zone very well. The Hokies did just that, showing aggressiveness when they were able to get the ball into the paint. Coleman Collins, who at times this year has looked tentative inside, attacked the basket relentlessly. After seeing the exact same defense against the Syracuse Orangemen on Saturday night, Tech seemed to have a better understanding of how to attack it. Virginia Tech did such a good job against the zone that Providence was forced to switch to a man-to-man defense late in the game, which is something that the Friars have not done all year.
The Hokies played some defense of their own, holding Providence to 23 of 59 from the floor (39%). Tech did a very nice job of keeping the ball away from All-American candidate Ryan Gomes. Gomes finished with 18 points, but the Hokies limited his touches. Jamon Gordon, besides chipping in with 12 points, did an outstanding job on point guard Donnie McGrath. McGrath averages over 10 ppg., but was only 3-12 from the field. Providence forward Rob Sanders, who averages 12.6 ppg., did not score in the game.
The Achilles' Heel for the Hokies, free throw shooting, turned out to be their best friend against Providence. Tech outmuscled Providence inside to get to the line 33 times, connecting on 24 attempts for 72.7%. Down the stretch, the Hokies were clutch, hitting 16 of their last 17 from the charity stripe. At one point Tech hit 12 consecutive free throws.
The game marked the first win over a ranked opponent at Virginia Tech since a 95-72 win over UConn on Feb. 5, 2003, which ironically was also football Signing Day. It was also the first win over a ranked opponent at Virginia Tech for head coach Seth Greenberg, who was 0-20 against ranked teams as head coach at South Florida.
After an atrocious start to the Syracuse game, Virginia Tech has been playing some pretty good basketball. After trailing 37-14 in the Carrier Dome, Tech has outscored nationally ranked Syracuse and Providence 119-96.
The Hokies return to action at home on Feb. 11 against the Georgetown Hoyas (12-5, 3-4 Big East), at 7 p.m. in Cassell Coliseum.
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Virginia Tech 69, Providence 57
2/4/04, Blacksburg, VA
Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total
Virginia Tech................. 27 42 69
Providence (23)............... 26 31 57
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PROVIDENCE (14-5, 5-3)
fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
R Gomes 38 8-14 1-2 5-9 4 3 18
R Sanders 15 0-5 0-0 1-4 0 4 0
M Douthit 31 3-8 0-0 2-6 2 5 6
D McGrath 35 3-12 0-0 0-2 2 1 9
S Kabba 34 5-11 0-0 2-6 1 2 13
G Brown 10 1-3 0-0 1-1 0 1 2
C Anrin 9 1-2 0-0 1-2 1 0 2
M Laksa 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
T Kotti 27 2-4 3-4 1-4 1 5 7
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TOTALS 200 23-59 4-6 13-34 11 21 57
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Percentages: FG-.390, FT-.667. 3-Point Goals:
7-24, .292 (R Gomes 1-3, R Sanders 0-1, D
McGrath 3-11, S Kabba 3-7, G Brown 0-1, C
Anrin 0-1). Team Rebounds: 1. Blocked Shots:
4 (M Douthit 2, R Gomes, T Kotti). Turnovers:
19 (S Kabba 5, M Douthit 4, R Gomes 4, T
Kotti 4, D McGrath 2). Steals: 7 (S Kabba 2,
R Gomes 2, M Douthit, T Kotti, G Brown).
VIRGINIA TECH (9-10, 2-6)
fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
B Matthews 40 7-12 9-12 3-10 0 3 23
C Collins 35 7-14 7-12 1-9 0 0 21
Z Dowdell 35 3-9 0-0 0-2 0 0 9
J Gordon 38 2-7 7-7 1-2 7 2 12
M Sailes 26 0-0 0-0 0-1 1 1 0
B Randall 20 1-4 1-2 0-1 4 3 4
A Calloway 6 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
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TOTALS 200 20-46 24-33 5-25 12 9 69
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Percentages: FG-.435, FT-.727. 3-Point Goals:
5-16, .313 (B Matthews 0-1, Z Dowdell 3-9, J
Gordon 1-2, B Randall 1-4). Team Rebounds: 4.
Blocked Shots: 5 (A Calloway 2, C Collins 2,
M Sailes). Turnovers: 13 (J Gordon 4, B
Matthews 3, B Randall 3, Z Dowdell 2, M
Sailes). Steals: 12 (J Gordon 4, Z Dowdell 3,
B Matthews 2, M Sailes 2, B Randall).
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PROVIDENCE 26 31 - 57
VIRGINIA TECH 27 42 - 69
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Technical fouls: Providence 1 ( Bench). A: 6,323.
Officials: Donnie Gray, Frank Scagliotta, Reggie
Greenwood
2003-2004 Men's Basketball Schedule/Results