Men's Basketball Sustains Second-Half Charlotte Surge To Win Fourth Straight

Virginia Tech was anchored by a 16-point first-half effort from guard Jailen Bedford, as well as an 18-point, 15-rebound night from forward Tobi Lawal.

Virginia Tech Athletics

Encumbered by an ever-volatile shooting effort from deep and a second-half surge from Charlotte, Virginia Tech men's basketball narrowly defeated the 49ers, 84-76, Sunday afternoon.

4-0 ✅✅✅✅ pic.twitter.com/dKTufJg3o8

— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) November 16, 2025

"That game will serve us well as we look ahead here, going forward," said the Hokies' (4-0) head coach Mike Young. "I take nothing away from [Charlotte head coach Aaron Fearne's] bunch. I was impressed with them on film... They fought, they competed. We weren't our best offensively.

"Needless to say, I think we got a little hurried. Their tempo bothered us. We've got to be able to withstand different styles."

Nevertheless, the Hokies remain undefeated, claiming the season's first four contests for the first time since 2022-23. That year, only three of the Hokies' 14 players were in college — Jaden Schutt and Tobi Lawal were entering their freshman years at Duke and VCU, respectively, while Jailen Bedford was in his third year of junior college at Trindade State College.

That victory didn't come without a fight from the 49ers (2-2), who pushed the gap down to as little as one. Though Charlotte never led or tied, it came close, utilizing 32 points off the bench. 18 of those points came from guard Damoni Harrison. However, that effort was answered by several Hokies, one of which was Lawal.

The English forward finished the evening with 18 points and 15 rebounds, his second double-double this season. Lawal's 15 rebounds marked a career-high output.

"A lot," Young said when asked about what he liked from Lawal's effort on the glass. "Not a lot to not like... [for a couple], goodness, it looks to me from my vantage point that he's up around the top of the board. And we needed some of those."

Young stated that he thought rebounding was a real concern going into the game given the potence of Charlotte's center: 7-foot-2, 270-pound stopper Anton Bonke. The big man tallied 15 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks Sunday, but despite the 49ers closing it to a single possession with under nine minutes remaining, the Hokies stayed calm.

"I feel like we stayed very calm through the pressure, and we stayed collective and just made the right plays," Bedford said. "That's what helped us win, helped us overcome that."

In addition to Lawal's standout performance, Bedford was incandescent in the first half, knocking down ix of his eight shots for 16 points in the opening 20 minutes. Bedford finished the contest with a season-high 21 points, continuing his strong start to the season. In every regular season contest thus far, Bedford has scored at least eight points.

"I think I played well," Bedford said. "I could have put a lot better on the defensive end. I made some mistakes on that, but next game, get better on that."

In a contest decided by eight, Lawal's rebounding and provided the edge that the Hokies needed. So did the dunk.

After Avdalas tallied six free throws that gave Virginia Tech a 10-point lead, Lawal canned a jumper following a Harrison free throw. Charlotte guard Ben Bradford then clanked a long three that went into Schutt's arms. A pass later, it found Bedford's arms. Streaking down the court, Bedford suddenly paused, tossing the ball a short distance behind him to the incoming Avdalas, who jammed the ball home.

The dunk put the Hokies up 13, essentially ending Charlotte's hopes of an upset with 1:18 remaining. Avdalas produced an uneven rhythm, knocking down two of seven shots. However, he logged six made free throws towards the end of the contest to push the game out of reach and generally helped to facilitate, even if his name wasn't credited for an assist.

"He didn't have a very good rhythm today," Young said. "I still thought he played a great game. It was good to see him, you know, make the six threes going down the stretch. He looked like he pressed a little bit, but still, you know, he was, he was good.

"Fellas, he's not going to be Superman. He's really, really good. But if you think for a second the kid's going to kick in 22 points and hand out 12 assists every night, you're wrong. Other teams do a good job, and there's some film out now. Neo will continue to improve and continue to make adjustments as we go along. Neo Avdalas has played well. We won, and that's all that matters to me."

The close contest came despite only six turnovers from the Hokies in the contest, with only two occurring in the second half. In addition to a 16-assist night, Young was pleased by the facilitation, remarking that he was "excited" if the Hokies were turning into a balanced passing team. No player had more than three assists Sunday; however, all eight players that saw the court logged an assist.

"We're seeing it night in, night out, and if that's who we're becoming, I'm excited by that," Young said. "That's how the game's supposed to be played, to share. Turning down a good shot for a great shot. That's the way people expect our team to play. That's good players making the right basketball play."

In the Hokies' fourth contest of the year, continuity reigned, but so did change. Virginia Tech trotted out an identical starting lineup for the fourth straight time — Bedford, Lawal, Tyler Johnson, Amani Hansberry and Neoklis Avdalas. However, behind them, the reserve pool was less utilized. Eight players saw the court Sunday: the five starters, plus Schutt, Hammond and Dorn. Of the former two, Young remarked that he plays the two as starters despite them not being members of the first five on the court. Hammond and Schutt played 16 and 22 minutes respectively, sixth- and seventh-most on the team, shortly behind Johnson (28) and Hansberry).

Antonio Dorn was given the minutes at the backup center spot, hitting two of four shots for a total of five points. His mobility offered Tech a different look at Bonke than Lawal, with Christian Gurdak posing as more of an imposing but rather immobile big man. Gurdak did not play Sunday; neither did guard Izaiah Pasha or forward Sin'Cere Jones.

Running with an eight-man front, the Hokies found themselves dealing with foul trouble; Schutt racked up four fouls, while Johnson and Hansberry both fouled out with five. The latter two exited having shot a combined 2-for-13 from the field, including 1-for-6 from deep. However, Johnson registered eight rebounds, while Hansberry logged three assists.

Virginia Tech men's basketball will next play against Bryant on Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. ET.