NEW YORK -- Antoine Agudio's absence from Friday's game at Madison Square Garden meant Virginia Tech was spared the task of defending a Hofstra guard who ranked second nationally in scoring.

That alone didn't guarantee victory for a Hokies team that had lost five of its six games away from Cassell Coliseum, but it was a welcome turn of events.

"I saw him and he wasn't wearing game shoes," Tech coach Seth Greenberg said of the preseason CAA player of the year. "That was the first giveway. He had that thing [ankle] taped up pretty good."

With Agudio out, Hofstra was overmatched. The Hokies dominated the first half with defense and cruised to an 84-59 win in the first of two games at the Aeropostale Holiday Festival.

Greenberg wasn't pleased that his young team allowed 20 offensive rebounds and won the second half by just three points, but a 45-23 halftime lead gave Tech (7-5) plenty of room to coast.

It was even more encouraging that the Hokies earned assists on 20 of 27 field goals and held the Pride (2-7) to 34-percent shooting.

"I was most pleased that we were unselfish," said Greenberg, whose squad will play St. John's today at 3:30 p.m. St. John's was a 62-59 winner over Marist in the late game.

Deron Washington, A.D. Vassallo and Jeff Allen each scored 17 points for the Hokies, and Allen added nine rebounds.

Washington hit 8 of 10 free throws, climbing to 71 percent from the line after shooting 58 percent in his first three seasons.

Tech's freshman guards also played well, with Dorenzo Hudson grabbing three steals and Malcolm Delaney and Hank Thorns combining for nine assists and two turnovers.

In a reversal of the first 11 games, though, Delaney started at point guard instead of Thorns, played twice as many minutes, and earned kudos from Greenberg after the game.

"Starting Delaney was a positive," Greenberg said. "He got us off to a good start."

Tech's fortunes this season have been tied inextricably to its defensive performance. In wins, opponents average just less than 50 points per game, only once reaching 60. In losses, that average soars to 76 points, with only one game under 72.

Last weekend at Wake Forest, the Hokies allowed a 10-0 run in the final 80 seconds and lost 77-75.

"We know what we have to do," said Washington, who had two of Tech's seven blocks.

High-flying as always, Washington provided the highlight of a tepid second half when he smothered a Charles Jenkins layup attempt in transition, bringing to life a quiet crowd of a few thousand.

Big first-half blocks by Washington, Delaney and Allen helped the Hokies gain a 17-0 advantage in points on turnovers.

Tech had a 14-2 lead 6 minutes in and had the margin at 23-13 a bit later before beginning to pull away.

After Washington hit 1 of 2 free throws, Delaney forced a steal and dunked at the other end. Moments later, Hudson got another steal and fastbreak dunk.

Delaney found Vassallo for a basket, and Hudson stole the ball again, pushing on the break to create a layup opportunity for Allen.

Tech's lead, with 6 minutes left in the half, was 32-15. It stayed in double digits and quickly soared beyond 20 points.

"At times, when we keep the ball in front of us and contest shots, we're pretty good defensively," Greenberg said. "This is a simple game: The less you have to help, the better your defense is. So if you can guard the ball and contain the ball and do a pretty good job on those ball screens, then you can contest shots."

At halftime, the Hokies had a 62-31 advantage in field-goal percentage and a 26-12 edge on points in the paint.

Allen had 11 points and seven rebounds.

VIRGINIA TECH (7-5)

Allen 6-8 5-10 17, D.Washington 4-6 8-10 17, Diakite 0-0 0-0 0, Vassallo 6-10 2-3 17, Delaney 3-6 2-3 9, Bell 1-2 3-4 5, Hudson 4-7 0-1 9, Amalfe 0-1 0-0 0, Travis 0-0 0-0 0, Thorns 1-4 0-0 2, Vinson 0-0 0-0 0, Witcher 2-2 0-0 4, Debnam 0-0 0-0 0, Thompson 0-2 4-6 4. Totals 27-48 24-37 84.

HOFSTRA (2-7)

G.Washington 1-6 1-4 3, Davis-Sabb 0-0 0-0 0, Lester 1-10 6-8 8, Sestokas 1-9 0-0 3, Jenkins 6-13 1-3 13, Nee 0-0 0-2 0, R.Johnson 2-2 0-1 4, Urbutis 3-6 1-1 7, G.Johnson 0-5 3-4 3, Townes 6-10 0-0 12, Vallins 0-0 0-0 0, Leonavicius 0-0 0-0 0, D.Johnson 3-6 0-0 6. Totals 23-67 12-23 59.

Halftime--Virginia Tech 45-23. 3-Point Goals--Virginia Tech 6-16 (Vassallo 3-5, D.Washington 1-2, Delaney 1-2, Hudson 1-3, Bell 0-1, Amalfe 0-1, Thorns 0-2), Hofstra 1-10 (Sestokas 1-7, Lester 0-3). Fouled Out--Davis-Sabb. Rebounds--Virginia Tech 37 (Allen 9), Hofstra 43 ( G.Washington 10). Assists--Virginia Tech 20 (Delaney 6), Hofstra 10 (Jenkins 4). Total Fouls--Virginia Tech 25, Hofstra 27. A--N/A.