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Men's Basketball
at Pitt (Exhibition)
2:00 p.m.
Providence College Athletics
Tuesday, February 20
Providence, R.I.
7:30 PM ET
Providence College
96
at
56
Virginia Tech
No. 25 Men's Basketball Throttles Virginia Tech, 96-56
2/20/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 20, 2001
<>By RICHARD LEWIS
Associated Press Writer
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Coming off a weekend loss that would have given it a share of first place in the Big East, No. 25 Providence may have been excused for some lethargic play against a last-place team.
But the Friars were energetic - and perfect - from the get-go, hitting their first 11 shots en route to a 96-56 victory over Virginia Tech on Tuesday night.
"We had a sting on our shoulders," Providence head coach Tim Welsh said, referring to the Friars' loss to Boston College last Saturday, a game that was for first place in the conference's East Division.
Providence led by as many as 43 points in the second half in recording its largest margin of victory ever in the Big East.
Abdul Mills recorded a perfect line in the win as the sophomore guard scored 20 points, going 5-for-5 from the field, including three 3-pointers, and 7-for-7 from the foul line. He also handed out eight assists.
Providence (19-7, 10-4) matched its highest victory total ever in league play, while Virginia Tech (8-17, 2-12) lost its seventh straight.
It was the Hokies' worst loss since 1989.
Erron Maxey had 19 points for the Friars, while freshman Chris Anrin added 11 and John Linehan had 10 and tied his season-high with six steals.
Brian Chase led the Hokies with 12 points.
The Friars hit their first 11 shots from the field and that was enough to cause Virginia Tech head Ricky Stokes to wonder if the Friars would ever miss.
"You kept thinking sooner or later they'd miss one," he said.
The Friars, ranked for the first time since Jan. 24, 1989, play SUNY-Binghamton on Thursday night. They then meet Boston College again on Saturday, a game that could determine first place in the conference's East Division.
Virginia Tech led 5-4, but a basket by Maxey off a deflection gave the Friars the lead for good. Romuald Augustin hit a 3-pointer on an assist from Mills with six seconds left in the first half to put the Friars up 55-33.
The Friars were 7-of-9 from 3-point range in the half.
Providence shot 53.8 percent from the field, including 12-for-24 on 3-pointers, while the Hokies shot 33.3 percent.
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