Spartanburg, SC — Mike Young came home Friday night, and his Virginia Tech Hokies escaped Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium with a 78-76 exhibition win over the Terriers. Wofford took Young’s ACC club all the way to the final horn, and freshman Cutter Sisk came off the bench to lead the Old Gold and Black with 20 points in his debut. Wofford led 36-34 at the half, and the second half was every bit as tight. The game featured 10 lead changes and eight ties, and neither side ever led by more than eight. Virginia Tech pushed in front by seven late before Wofford came storming back. Sisk got a last-second look to tie it, but the shot would not fall.
Cutter Sisk had 20 points on 7 of 10 shooting, including 3 of 3 from three and 3 of 6 at the line, along with six rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. Four of his six boards came on the offensive glass, and he shared the team lead in rebounds and steals. As a freshman in his first game experience at the D1 level, in just over 18 minutes on the court, it was an extremely impressive showing for the newly fledged Terrier. The 6’9″ forward from Hendersonville, Tenn., did it while playing through four fouls in front of a packed student section dressed in white.
The Tdawgs let it fly, shooting 53.2 percent from the field and 50 percent from three, knocking down 9 of 18 from beyond the arc. Virginia Tech shot 50 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from three. The Wofford bench outscored Virginia Tech’s reserves 38-10. Freshman guard Jyi Dawkins gave the Terriers nine points off the bench in just over 18 minutes. The Greensboro, N.C., native went 3 of 5 from the floor, 1 of 2 from three and 2 of 2 at the line, and added an assist and two steals. Junior guard Chris Arias brought seven points and a spark in 16 and a half minutes, going 3 of 7 from the field and 1 of 2 from deep. The Jacksonville, Fla., native also had a rebound and a blocked shot. Freshman guard Jhett Carter scored two points on 1 of 2 shooting and grabbed a rebound in nearly nine minutes, and freshman guard Misho Kalinov, from Silistra, Bulgaria, logged nearly seven minutes off the bench.
The starting five carried a balanced load. Redshirt junior center Evan Ramsey scored eight points on 2 of 3 shooting and 4 of 6 at the line, with five rebounds and two assists in over 21 minutes. The 7-footer from Abingdon, Va., gave the Terriers a steady presence on the defensive glass, where all five of his boards came. Redshirt junior guard Cam Lowe, a Preseason All-SoCon pick, scored eight points on 3 of 5 shooting, including 2 of 4 from three, and shared the team lead with six rebounds, all on the defensive end. He added an assist in nearly 30 minutes. Sophomore guard Jacob Daniels ran the show with a team-leading five assists. He scored eight points on 3 of 5 shooting and 2 of 4 from the line, with two rebounds and a steal in nearly 28 minutes. Sophomore guard Chace Watley, also a Preseason All-SoCon selection, scored eight points and did his damage at the line, going 6 for 10. He shot 1 of 6 from the floor and 0 of 2 from three, and filled the box with two rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block in over 26 minutes. Junior guard Luke Flynn was efficient in over 23 minutes, scoring six points on 2 of 3 shooting, with both makes coming from three. The Marietta, Ga., native added two rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Wofford also showed off its depth. Eight Terriers played 16 minutes or more, while only six Hokies played more than 10 minutes, with Jaylen Curry and Ben Hammond each logging more than 32. The Terriers spread the minutes around with quality depth despite being without junior forward Cannon Richards and sophomore forward Brian Sumpter, two players expected to provide big minutes this fall. The two teams went toe-to-toe inside. Virginia Tech scored 32 points in the paint to Wofford’s 30, about as even as it gets, and Wofford won the glass 30-29. That rebounding edge was impressive given the Terriers were without their 6’7″ and 6’9″ returning forwards in Richards and Sumpter.
For the Hokies, Jaylen Curry and Ben Hammond paced the visitors with 19 points each. Hammond made 6 of 12 shots, 2 of 4 from three and 5 of 6 at the line, while Curry went 6 for 16. Isaiah Elohim added 12 points on 5 of 8 shooting, Amani Hansberry made 6 of 9 from the floor and Tyler Johnson grabbed seven rebounds. Virginia Tech shot 28 of 56 from the field and 18 of 24 at the line but just 4 of 13 from three.
Before the tip, the night belonged to Coach Young. About 40 of his former Wofford players joined him at midcourt, a banner honoring his years in Spartanburg was unveiled in the rafters and a tribute video played. Young spent 13 seasons as a Wofford assistant and 17 more as head coach, winning five Southern Conference titles and taking the Terriers to five NCAA Tournaments, including the unforgettable 2019 team that went unbeaten in league play and beat Seton Hall in the Big Dance. Young grabbed the PA microphone to thank a big, loud crowd. “God knows I love Wofford College,” he said, before he made it clear the Hokies came to work. “We’re here to play. Virginia Tech is here to play basketball and get better as a team, as is Wofford.”
The man on the other bench knows that story better than anyone. Terriers head coach Kevin Giltner played for Young at Wofford, was part of his early Southern Conference title teams, came back as his assistant for later title runs including 2019, and then followed him to Blacksburg for six seasons on the Virginia Tech staff before taking over in Spartanburg. Young called Giltner “one of my favorite players and assistant coaches of all time, and he’s doing a magnificent job.” Giltner, now in his second season after a 19-win campaign, liked what he saw from a roster full of new faces. “But I loved the way we responded to that. We’ve got tough kids, man. I was really happy with that. I was really happy with how hard we played. I’m really fired up about what we could be.”
Wofford was picked third in the Southern Conference preseason poll, and Watley and Lowe were both named Preseason All-SoCon. Up next, the real thing. The Terriers open the regular season at Tennessee on Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 6 p.m. ET at Food City Center in Knoxville. The game will be televised on SEC Network, with radio on the Wofford Digital Network.