Virginia Tech men’s basketball couldn’t hold on late, falling to the Atlantic 10’s Duquesne Dukes, 83-81, in the Hokies’ lone home exhibition game.
Final in the exhibition
Duquesne 83
VT 81
— Virginia Tech Men’s Basketball (@HokiesMBB) October 25, 2025
Uneven execution held the Hokies back; Tech made 55.2% of its shots from the charity stripe and committed 19 turnovers, including 13 in the first frame. However, the day wasn’t without its highlights.
Sophomore guard Ben Hammond shined, producing a 22-point, three-assist outing. During the team’s media day earlier this month, Young stated that Hammond was among the five players who would start in his ideal lineup. Though Hammond wasn’t one of the first five on the court — Neoklis Avdalas, Jailen Bedford and Tyler Johnson started in the backcourt — he was one of the most impactful Saturday.
Hammond and fellow returning guard Jaden Schutt were the only two players to knock over half of their free throws; the two combined to go 8-for-9 (88.8%) while the rest of the team shot 8-for-20 (40%) from the stripe. Duquesne led for only two minutes and 58 seconds, opposed to the Hokies’ 32:55 stretch, but it was enough for the Dukes to walk the victors.
Behind Hammond, senior forward Tobi Lawal was the team’s next-highest scorer. Lawal poured in 20 points and was particularly adept outside his scoring duties, accumulating eight rebounds and four assists. However, the forward struggled with ball security, yielding the ball on a team-high five occasions.
The Hokies were initially commandeering the game, taking a 19-9 lead after nine and a half minutes of ball, holding Duquesne scoreless for over five minutes. However, after leading by as many as 11, Tech began to cede small chunks of its lead, allowing the Dukes to close to a five-point gap at the break, 39-34. In the first half, the Hokies limited Duquesne to a 37/27/47 split, whole shooting 55% and 40% from the field and three-point range, respectively. However, Tech missed six of its 11 free-throw shots in the opening frame, which came back to haunt it later.
After Avdalas canned his only three of the afternoon — the Greek wing went 1-for-8 from deep Saturday — Duquesne went on an 11-point run and took the lead off a pair of layups from guard Tarence Guinyard. The senior Dukes guard finished with a joint-team-high 21 points with fellow guard Jimmie Williams.
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The Hokies, however, weren’t done fighting, pulling ahead by as many as nine after contributions from Hammond, Lawal and freshman center Christian Gurdak. But after the under-four-minute media timeout, where Tech led, 76-69, it was outscored, 16-7 the rest of the way.
Guinyard drew a foul inside the paint on Hammond, cashed in on both free throws to make the score, 76-71. Then forward Jakub Necas snatched the ball from Jaden Schutt and dunked the ball to slash the Hokies’ lead to a single-score. On the following possession, Bedford’s cross-court loft to Gurdak was picked off by Duquesne’s David Dixon, who took it the remaining length of the court for another slam to cut Tech’s advantage to one.
After a pair of timeouts, Jimmie Williams went up in the paint for a layup, but his shot was stuffed by Avdalas. Eight seconds later, Williams drove in relative unimpeded for his 19th and 20th points of the game — and for a Duquesne lead.
Despite an Avdalas free throw, the wing then turned the ball over to Dixon who tossed the ball up the court to a waiting Guinyard, whose slam pushed Duquesne’s lead to two with 44 seconds remaining.
Both teams exchanged free throws, with Duquesne maintaining an 83-81 lead. Dixon’s free throw with six seconds was no good, offering the Hokies a look at a potential game-winning buzzer beater. However, Avdalas’ heave was off the mark and came right after the zeros hit the clock, securing Tech’s exhibition loss in a narrow defeat that felt more like a starting point than a setback.
Teams under Young have often needed time to find their rhythm before hitting their stride later in the season. The Hokies tend to open the year with uneven performances as rotations settle and new contributors adjust to Young’s motion-heavy offense. Last season followed that same script — Tech didn’t truly find its identity, in Young’s own estimation, until a February win over Virginia.
Still, there are clear positives to draw from, even this early. The group has shown flashes of cohesion and skill that suggest potential. And, of course, the context matters — today’s contest was merely an exhibition, a low-stakes opportunity for experimentation and growth rather than a finished and refined product.
In addition, the Hokies faced a stout foe in Duquesne. The Dukes made the NCAA Tournament two seasons ago and enter this year’s KenPom rankings at No. 110, one spot below Saint Joseph’s, another squad that the Hokies will host this year.
Tech showed signs of promise, though there’s still plenty to polish. Ball movement was at times a bit loose, with a few passes lacking crispness or focus; however, the offense appeared potent to begin the contest. While there were moments of inconsistency on both ends, that’s to be expected this early. For an exhibition outing, the effort and energy were encouraging, a solid foundation to build on as the season gets underway.
Virginia Tech basketball kicks off its regular season on Monday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. ET against Charleston Southern in Cassell Coliseum. Viewers can watch the game on ACC Network Extra.