Box Score Blacksburg, VA -- The Jacksonville Dolphins won a game against a Power 4 opponent for the first time since 2010 on Wednesday, beating Virginia Tech in Blacksburg 74-64.

The Dolphins (3-2) were led by Dayton transfer Zimi Nwokeji's electric scoring night. Nwokeji posted a game-high 19 points and game-high nine rebounds. Junior guard Robert McCray V was right in step with Nwokeji, tallying 17 points and eight assists, four rebounds, two steals and a block.

JU defeated Florida and Auburn in 2010, Furman in 2012 and VCU in 2022 for the school's last major non-conference wins. The school's last win over a traditional ACC foe was against Maryland in 1990. But in coach Jordan Mincy's fourth year at the helm of the Duval Dolphins, he helped Jacksonville rewrite its record book.

"It is a huge steppingstone for our team," Mincy said. "They can see the resilience they showed. I was happy it was not just one guy who showed up. 

How It Happened

Jacksonville won the tip and scored the game's opening bucket behind a Kendall Munson hook shot. The 'Phins went back and forth until the under 12 minute media timeout when Virginia Tech started to take control.

The Hokies, up 22-16, finished the first half with a 39-29 lead. At the break, JU was being outrebounded 21-15 and was being outshot 45.2% to 41.9%.

At halftime, both coaches and players alike reinforced the idea that the game was still well within reach. Buttressed by comments from the coaches, Nwokeji also spoke to the team at half to light a newfound fire in the visiting squad.

"(The coaches) really challenged our guys to be tougher," Mincy said. "They challenged the guys to play to their abilities. Then Zimi stepped up and was talking about staying together, staying positive. Zimi spoke words of confidence into a guy like Kendall Munson."

And out of half, Nwokeji's words clearly worked.

Immediately out of the break, Munson rattled off an and-one make followed by a Zach Bell triple. Munson got to the rim again to get JU to a 39-37 deficit and later found the net to get his team to a 42-39 deficit. Munson scored seven of his nine of his points in the five minutes after halftime.

"He was big and physical on both ends," Mincy said of Munson. "He was a bulldog. He did such a great job."

Nwokeji later tied things up with one of his four makes from deep. JU eventually took the lead at the 14:31 mark behind a Nwokeji jumper and never relinquished. 

The Dolphins transformed a 10-point halftime deficit into a 10-point road win. To Mincy, the marquee win came in part to solid coaching by the rest of his staff.

"Our staff, I need to give them credit," Mincy said. "Coach (Troy) Pierce, coach (Michael) Fly, coach (Mychal) Covington, those guys did more than I did. They were prepared. They were elite going through the scout. They worked countless hours. It was a staff win as well as a team win."

Nwokeji, Munson and McCray were certainly not the only Dolphins to aid in the team's success. Forward Donovan Rivers tied his career-high in scoring with 10 points, grabbed three boards and posted a game-high three blocks. Guard Jakari Spence added five points, four assists and two rebounds of his own. Forward Stephon Payne III put up six points, five rebounds and two steals and helped JU tie the rebounding effort from the Hokies at 33 apiece.

"Donovan Rivers came off the bench and played huge minutes, Zimi played with elite confidence," Mincy said. "Those guys work so hard every day. Along with guys like Jakari Spence. It was the ultimate team effort."

This season, JU has yet to lose a rebounding battle and has had at least one player have a marquee showing in every game. In the team's last outing, it was 19 points off the bench from freshman Chris Arias.

Against the Hokies, leading Jacksonville to arguably its largest win in 14 years, it was the most veteran player on JU's roster. 

"Zimi has always been there," Mincy said. "He has great experience. He has great energy. Being able to see his success, it is something we expect. I want to say I was surprised, but that is just what we expect of him."

Game Notes

• Rivers' three blocks were his second straight game with over three blocks.
• Zach Bell scored five points and grabbed three rebounds.
• JU turned Virginia Tech over 16 times to 14 turnovers committed. 
• Munson posted a game-high +/- of +17.
• Bell (+14), McCray (+15) and Nwokeji (+11) all posted double-digit +/- marks. Only one Hokie posted a positive +/-.
• Kent Jackson logged 7:24 minutes, his most since the opener. 
• JU's 10-point win was its second largest margin of victory this season.

Next Up
The Dolphins next travel to Fort Myers for the Fort Myers Tip-Off Tournament. JU opens tournament play on Nov. 25 against Mercer at 1:30 p.m. The following day, JU will play either Miami (OH) or Siena. 

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