Virginia Tech made a disappointing start to its Atlantic Coast Conference season. The Hokies lost to Duke, 69-44, in their first ACC encounter of the season. Duke, the No. 5 in the nation defeated Virginia Tech comprehensively with a margin of 25 points, at Durham, N.C. The Blue Devil's Cameron Indoor Stadium was full of rowdy fans and amidst such a hostile environment the Hokies had eighteen defensive rebounds, six blocks and seven steals. Their shooting was affected by the environment, and they only shot 36 percent from the field, with a slight better accuracy at the free throw line. The Hokies shot 58 percent from the free throw line. The Blue Devils(12-1, 1-0 ACC) started the first half with an 11-0 run, but then Virginia Tech shot 6 points with 8:30 minutes to go in the first half and came back in the game. At the end of the first half the Hokies were trailing the Devils by 8 points. Second half belonged completely to the Devils. The Hokies managed to score only 13 points as compared to the 31 scored by the Devils. The shooting percentage of the Hokies plummeted to 33 percent. Within a matter of 4 minutes, the Devils extended their 11 point lead to a 20 point lead. The Dukes kept pushing and lay-up by sophomore forward J.T Thompson was the only field goal for the Hokies in the last 8:30 minutes of play. Senior guard Malcolm Delaney missed all the three shots from behind the arch, senior forward A.D Vassallo scored 1-for-4. In all the Hokies shot 1-for-9. However Delaney was the leading scorer for the Hokies, by scoring 12 points. Sophomore forward Jeff Allen also performed well and scored nine points and also took five rebounds, highest for the Hokies in the game. Senior forward Cheick Diakite played hard and stuck to his job of protecting the rim; he also chipped in with the scoring and scored eight points along with five rebounds and three block in twenty minutes. Virginia Tech was out-rebounded by The Duke,38-28 in the game. Forward Kyle Singler was the leading scorer for the Blue Devils with 19 points, he also led the Duke in rebounds with eight rebounds. Gerald Henderson supported Singler well and scored fifteen points and took eight rebounds. The Blue Devils proved to be better shooters than the Hokies and shot 95 percent from the line. They also converted 19 of the 20 foul shots they took as a result of 18 personal fouls committed by the Hokies. Virginia Tech should not get disappointed, as they played a good game. They still lead the season with 9-5. The defeat in their first match of the ACC this season can be mended by winning the game against Virginia at their home court.
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