March 16, 2011

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By Dan Ryan
B-CUAthletics.com

BLACKSBURG, Va. - If experience is what you get when you don't get what you want, then Bethune-Cookman's 79-54 loss to Virginia Tech Wednesday night in the NIT opening round definitely counts.

The Wildcats' season of wonder came to a somewhat disappointing end as the Hokies (22-11) stormed out to an early 14-4 lead and showed B-CU what it needs to do to sustain this kind of success for future years.

Virginia Tech had dominant inside play, as Jeff Allen scored 19 points. The Hokies' guard play lived up to Atlantic Coast Conference reputation as Malcolm Delaney started with a hot hand and finished with 13.

And then there was the intangible of experience. B-CU (21-13) was making its first post-season appearance as a Division I program. Forty minutes against an ACC team may help a Wildcat squad returning eight players next year, but the inexperience factor showed here as well as last week against Morgan State in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference semifinals.

"The experience we've gained is invaluable," said B-CU coach Clifford Reed. "Now we're seasoned when it comes to big games.

"We need to be tougher and recruit better," Reed continued. "We're not good enough to beat people on a consistent basis. We're not skilled enough on the perimeter and we need another big."

Garrius Holloman led B-CU with 20 points, but struggled in other aspects of the game not found in the box score.

"Garrius has the ability to be a 20-8 guy, but it's his attention to detail," Reed said.

MEAC Player Of The Year C.J. Reed was limited to 10 points as he went up against Delaney and Eric Green (11 points on 5-7 shooting).

"You have to play hard and know what you're doing when you're playing a team like Virginia Tech," C.J. Reed said. "My shot just wasn't falling tonight."

Three-pointers from Alexander Starling helped B-CU stay close after the early Hokie outburst. B-CU kept Virginia Tech scoreless the final 2:57 of the period and scored the final five points to cut it to 42-24.

 Virginia Tech started the second half with a 10-2 run. B-CU closed to 54-35 on a Holloman lay-up with 15:04 remaining, but then the Hokies scored eight unanswered points to pull away.

In his final game as a Wildcat, Starling had a team-high eight rebounds. Dukes finished with nine points.

 Though the loss was disappointing, Coach Reed could reflect positively on the Wildcats' best season as a Division I program.

"I want to commend everyone on the outstanding year," Coach Reed said. "It's been unbelievable. Give God the glory because we've been truly blessed."