Virginia Tech Women’s Basketball: Two Straight Wins After Puerto Rico Loss

After starting the season with five straight non-conference wins, Virginia Tech (7-1) traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico for two games over the Thanksgiving holiday and then to Madison to take on Wisconsin in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

November 26 — Missouri State (Loss, 76-86)

Virginia Tech struggled out of the gate in its first game at the Roberto Clemente Center in San Juan on Friday, Nov. 26. In the first quarter, the Hokies were outscored 23-9 but battled back over the last three periods.

Tech kept the Lady Bears from increasing their lead before going on a 9-0 run to narrow its deficit to 28-23 in the second quarter. That was the closest VT would get, however. Missouri State expanded its lead, leaving the Hokies trailing 36-26 heading into halftime.

After the half, Tech didn’t seem to make the adjustments necessary to contend with its opponent. MSU built a 52-35 advantage midway through the third quarter and eventually ran away with the game, 76-68.

Center Elizabeth Kitley accounted for 21 of the Hokies’ points and also added nine rebounds. Four Lady Bears scored in double figures, led by Jasmine Franklin’s double-double of 21 points and 12 boards.

Box Score: Link

November 27 — UT Martin (Win, 54-49)

The Hokies bounced back the next afternoon in Puerto Rico with a defensively sound win over UT Martin. Tied at 42 to end the third quarter, they eventually pulled out a win backed by Kitley’s double-double of 19 points and 14 rebounds.

Tech crashed the offensive boards, led by Kitley’s seven, which led to 15 second-chance points. And the rest of the defense, too, was heavily involved to limit the Skyhawks to just 36% shooting.

In the fourth quarter, Tech knocked down two three-pointers to score six of its 12 points. The Hokies went on a 6-0 run, aided off a Georgia Amoore jumper to grab a 50-44 lead, which iced the win.

Kayana Traylor added 11 points for VT while Paige Pipkin led UT Martin with 20 points and nine rebounds.

Before the trip, head coach Kenny Brooks said that he was “excited” to head down to San Juan to “learn more about his team,” which played competitive games against two teams that are expected to win their respective conferences and play in the NCAA Tournament.

His team proved that it could hang with some of the tougher teams it’ll face months before the NCAA Tournament — a luxury it didn’t have last year when the Hokies were just hoping to make the Big Dance for the first time since 2006. 

Now with more experience on the roster, Tech is playing for much more than an NCAA Tournament berth. Rather, Brooks has said his goal is to net a No. 4-seed and make a trip to the Sweet 16, which he believed was in reach when he scheduled both teams ahead of the season. 

The Hokies were tested in both games and even though they lost the first one, they learned that once their heads are put back a swivel, they’ll be able to contend with some of the better tournament teams come March.

Box Score: Link 

December 1 — Wisconsin (Win, 70-60)

After returning to the continental U.S. with a win under its belt, Tech bested Wisconsin with a 29-point effort from its bench, a 70-60 victory in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Four players scored in double figures, including Azana Baines, who notched a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. 

Baines was removed from the starting lineup in favor of Liberty transfer Emily Lytle in VT’s third game of the season in favor of floor spacing, Brooks said following VT’s win over Coppin State on November 17. Despite that, she’s been a solid contributor, especially on the boards (12 rebounds in two games in Puerto Rico), and she was big with Kitley in foul trouble for much of the game.

After trading treys to begin the night, Tech went on an 8-0 run in the first quarter, highlighted by five straight points from Aisha Sheppard, and the Hokies never looked back. Virginia Tech relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down six shots to account for 18 of its 27 points in the first ten minutes.

Tech went on another eight-point run in the second quarter to increase its lead to 37-23 and headed into the half with a 41-27 advantage. The Hokies cruised to victory in the remaining 20 minutes, keeping Brooks’ record in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge a perfect 5-0 since he became VT’s coach in 2016.

Box Score: Link

Next:

Virginia Tech takes on No. 11 Tennessee on Sunday, Dec. 5 at 2 p.m. at Cassell Coliseum. The game is televised on the ACC Network.

The Lady Vols are 7-0 on the year with recent wins over Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma State, the latter two in a Las Vegas tournament. Jordan Horston leads them in scoring with 17.7 points per game and in rebounding with 10 per contest.