Young, Johnson help Virginia Tech hold off Cal in 71-68 win

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Reserve Jaydon Young scored 14 points, Tyler Johnson recorded a double-double and Virginia Tech withstood Cal’s rally and beat the Golden Bears 71-68 on Saturday.

Johnson scored 11 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, and Brandon Rechsteiner and Mylyjael Poteat each scored 12 points for the Hokies (7-9, 2-3), who entered the game having lost three of their past four.

Andrej Stojakovic scored 24 points and reserve Jeremiah Wilkinson scored 14 points for Cal (8-8, 1-4).

Stojakovic’s 3-point attempt to tie it with two seconds left rimmed out to end the game.

The Hokies took a commanding 42-23 halftime lead before Cal went on to outscore the Hokies 26-7 at one point in the second half and cut the deficit to 58-55 on Stojakovic’s 3-pointer with 7:22 remaining. Cal forged a tie at 58, but Tobi Lawal responded with a 3 and the Hokies led for the remainder.

Rechsteiner’s jump shot with 13:25 left before halftime gave the Hokies a 15-4 lead. Virginia Tech led 23-9 at the midway point of the first half and 31-17 with five minutes left before the break. The Hokies extended the lead to 42-23 by intermission, shooting 61.5% (16 for 26).

The Bears and Hokies met for just the second time and the first time in more than 30 years. Cal beat Virginia Tech 68-59 on Nov. 30, 1991, in the Central Fidelity Holiday Classic consolation game in Richmond, Virginia.

Cal travels to North Carolina to face the Tar Heels on Wednesday when Virginia Tech hosts N.C. State.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP collegebasketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/

Copyright © 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up