Lightning couldn’t strike twice for Virginia Tech (14-8, 8-8), as No. 3 North Carolina State (17-3, 12-2) avenged its January loss to the Hokies and advanced to the ACC semifinals with a 68-55 victory.
“I’m disappointed in the outcome, obviously I thought we had the opportunity to come in here and keep playing for a long time,” Brooks said. “It’s a little bit of a tough draw to get the number three team in the country as the two seed in your league. Give them a lot of credit, I thought they were a lot more experienced in a lot of spots than we were.”
Star center Elissa Cunane was unavailable for the Wolfpack in the Hokies’ overtime win earlier in the season, and her impact was clear on Friday night. Cunane led the way for NC State with 25 points and nine rebounds in a matchup with her close friend Elizabeth Kitley.
“We’re pretty familiar with each other, so it was like being home again,” Kitley said. “I think we both like playing against each other because it makes us both better.”
Kitley had a nice night as well in the heavily anticipated match-up between top ACC centers. The first-team All-ACC selection came up just shy of another double-double, posting 20 points and nine rebounds.
The Hokies’ other first-team All-ACC player, Aisha Sheppard, did not have her best night, after being injured in Thursday’s second-round victory over Miami. Sheppard scored just six points while shooting 2-of-15 from the floor and missing all six of her three-pointers.
“It was a valiant effort, and I was proud of her for going out there,” Brooks said. “We kept saying that 60% or 70% of Aisha Sheppard is probably better than most people. I was very proud that she went out there and gave it the good old college try, but she just wasn’t herself.”
The Hokies’ struggles began in the second quarter when the offense went freezing cold. After the first frame, the game was all even at 16, but the Wolfpack outscored the Hokies by ten before halftime. Tech shot an abysmal 1-of-15 from the floor and scored just seven points in the second quarter. From then on, the Wolfpack were able to hold the Hokies at arm’s length.
The Hokies were able to cut the deficit to four with a run late in the third quarter. However, the Wolfpack quickly pulled back away, scoring 13 of the next 17 points.
Overall, it was a tough night offensively for the Hokies as Brooks’ squad has only been held to fewer than 55 points just once this season. Tech shot just 35% from the floor and under 25% from long range. Tech has been a team that lives and dies by the three, and that shooting performance wasn’t enough against an elite team like the Wolfpack.
“I give credit to NC State, they do a tremendous job, one of the best in the country, with scouting and when you give them three chances to look at you, they do a great job of getting you out of what you want to do,” Brooks said. “No discredit to them, but I really think it was us. Aisha Sheppard just wasn’t herself and couldn’t get into rhythm or get into her shots.”
NC State will move on to face the winner of Georgia Tech and Clemson on Saturday for a chance to play in the championship on Sunday afternoon. The Wolfpack are looking to win back-to-back conference championships for the first time in program history.
Despite the loss, the Hokies shouldn’t have any issue making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2006. Tech would have been selected for the tournament last season had it not been for COVID-19. Currently, ESPN’s Charlie Crème projects the Hokies as a nine seed with just over a week until the selection show.
“It’s a little bit of a different feeling,” Brooks said. “I don’t feel like I have to watch the scoreboards of other tournaments as much. I feel like we have a great body of work, so I feel like we can relax a little bit and really take care of ourselves from a physical standpoint, but also mental.”
Tech will learn its fate on March 15 at 7:00 p.m. when the field for the NCAA Tournament is announced on ESPN.
Print
Bush league layup at the end of the game – Tech should have given a hard foul
Kitley and the NSCU center are good friends going back to HS, don’t think it was malicious, just two friends continuing to battle
I’ve complained all year how poorly ACC women’s games are officiated. I’m not sure if it’s intentional and coming from the top or whether those the conference hire are just inept but in my humble opinion it hurts the women’s game. I officiated women’s games a lifetime ago and the theory was to call it close to allow for the players skill to be the dominate factor regarding which team wins the game. What I see today is the exact opposite. Brut force and physicality are currently playing a much larger role than they should. I have felt sorry for Kitley all year. She gets mugged inside and rarely get a call. She’s been bludgeoned, knocked down, and yesterday arm hooked by her opponent so she couldn’t go down the floor. Not saying it’s one sided but it needs to change.
You nailed it. The officials really make the game hard to watch
Link is the wrong box score, Miami, not NCSU
What a fantastic sophomore season for Elizabeth Kitley! Led the team in scoring and rebounding; shot a team-leading 54% from the field and just under 78% from FT line; had 44 blocks; one of five national finalists for the 2021 Lisa Leslie Award. She showed a ton of improvement this year vs. last, especially in her toughness inside. Next year could be an even bigger breakout for her. If she gains strength during the off-season, the rest of the league had better watch out. Congratulations to Elizabeth for a tremendous season!
I hope Ms. Sheppard is not seriously injured and that her ankle heals quickly – not sure I would have risked exacerbating the injury to win a game they really did not need to get in the NCAA tournament. She did not look particularly crippled, but did not have the usual explosiveness. VT is going to need her at full-strength to get to the second weekend of the big dance.