Bedford, Lawal Combine for 39 Points as Hokies Evade Charlotte Upset Bid

Tobi Lawal’s 18 points and Jailen Bedford’s 21 points helped lift the Hokies to 4-0 with Virginia Tech’s 84-76 win over the Charlotte 49ers.

“[Bedford] is making all the open jumpers,” said Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young. “He is playing really, really well for us, and I am certainly pleased with what he’s bringing to our program.”

It was to be expected that the 2025-2026 Blacksburg group would make an improvement from the season prior. However, Tech’s win on Sunday has given Hokie fans even more reason to be excited, as the squad has already surpassed the 2024-2025 team’s 3-1 record through four games.

The Hokies had a slow start to Sunday’s contest as they went 42% on field goal percentage in the first half. Bedford acted as the spark plug for Tech’s offense in the half as he tallied 16 points off shooting three-for-four from beyond the arc.

Virginia Tech starters Amani Hansberry and Tyler Johnosn were limited to just nine and six points, respectively. Bedford and Lawal would provide critical support for the Hokies throughout the game with Lawal totaling over 36 minutes.

“It’s a blessing the fact that I can be on the court for 36 minutes,” Lawal said. “I love that. I never had that in my career. The fact that they can trust me to keep me out there for that long; I just have to play my heart out every time. Every minute counts.”

The Hokies offense remained relatively slow coming out of halftime as it was outscored 14-22 in the first 10 minutes of the second.

At just over a minute left in the first half, big three-pointers from Lawal and Jaden Schutt brought some much-needed energy to Cassell Coliseum. Lawal was able to tack on an extra three points off of free throws to end the half with a 44-32 lead in favor of the maroon & orange.

Though Bedford was limited to just five points throughout the second half, the rest of the Hokies squad turned on the gas and was able to keep the team in front the entire game. 

With eight minutes left to play in the game, Charlotte managed to narrow Tech's lead to just one point. For an early-season, non-conference game, the contest was not shaping up in the way many Hokie fans expected.

After a resurgence from Cassell’s crowd, the Hokies were able to pick up crucial points to maintain a four-point lead with four minutes left in the game.

“[Cassell’s crowd] is like having an extra player on the court, like a sixth player or so,” Lawal said. It definitely gives us energy. It helps us lock in more too, because now we know ‘ ‘Alright, the crowd’s behind us.’ They didn’t waste their money for no reason, so we can’t be out there and not giving it our all.”

Though Neoklis Avdalas may not have filled up the stat sheet, he did prove himself to be a threat by pulling fouls from Charlotte’s defense. The Hokies were able to expand their lead to 10 points off of six late-game free throws from Avdalas with just under two minutes left to play.

While there were some times during the contest Hokie fans were holding their breath, Tech still was able to hold its lead. With crowd-energizing dunks from Lawal and Avdalas, Tech maintained its 10-point lead with one minute remaining.

Behind Bedford in scoring were Lawal and Schutt with 18 and 12 points respectively. Lawal showed off his athleticism in the paint with 15 total rebounds, and Schutt continued to prove himself to be a perimeter threat as he went four-for-nine from three on the afternoon. 

“[Schutt] is a great punch coming off the bench,” Young said. “I consider Schutt a starter, but he didn’t start off very well. He had a couple of wide open shots he missed and I almost fell out of my shoes. It was so out of character for him, but he responded well. He knows I don’t want him to ever turn a  good one down, and he takes me up on that offer.”

The Hokies would go on to win the game 84-76. The two-headed snake of Bedford and Lawal proved to be pivotal for Tech in the matchup. In what was a rather unexpectedly close game, the Hokies showed they could come out on top in crunch time.

Virginia Tech looks to keep its success rolling when it takes on the Bryant Bulldogs on Wednesday, Nov. 19 in Blacksburg. In the early stages of its 2025-2026 campaign, Virginia Tech appears to have a solid foundation in place for success towards the end of the season.