No. 7 Virginia Tech Women’s Basketball Holds Off No. 13 North Carolina

On New Year’s Day in Cassell Coliseum, No. 7 Virginia Tech fended off No. 13 North Carolina, 68-65.

Georgia Amoore’s 24 points paced the Hokies (12-2, 2-2 ACC), who overcame 20 turnovers to bounce back from losing two of their last three games. Three UNC (9-4, 0-2 ACC) players scored in double figures, headlined by Deja Kelly’s 21.

“Obviously, Thursday [at Clemson] was a wake-up call,” Tech head coach Kenny Brooks said after the win. “We lost a little bit of confidence. And then we came back. … They just took accountability and knew what they had to do and stepped up.

“We know we’re better than that. … We kept our poise, we grew up a little bit. This’ll go a long way for our confidence.”

Tech found success from long range, knocking down 12 of its 31 attempts. It’s the second-best mark this season behind 14 threes vs. Mount St. Mary’s. Amoore hit six while Cayla King had three. Carolina used a hybrid 2-3/3-2 zone to limit VT in the paint, and it worked. But despite just 14 points down low, the second-fewest this season, Virginia Tech gutted out the win.

UNC keyed in on All-American Elizabeth Kitley, holding her to just 13 points and seven rebounds (she averages 18 and 11). However, D’asia Gregg was crucial off the bench in 33 minutes, posting her second double-double of her career with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Before joining the Hokies in 2020, Gregg played at the JUCO level at Gulf Coast State and in the ACC at Georgia Tech. In her career, she’s averaged 3.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. But she’s one of the “smartest basketball minds” Tech has, according to Brooks, and she’s provided a spark multiple times this season.

Sunday was no different. She led the game in rebounding and made clutch play after clutch play down the stretch. Taylor Soule dealt with foul trouble, but Gregg stepped up.

Trailing by two, she drained a 3-pointer from the wing to swing the momentum with 1:45 remaining. With 18 seconds left, Gregg blocked a layup from Anya Poole that would’ve given UNC the lead. And she made the final play of the game. Carolina inbounded in the frontcourt with 1.8 seconds to go and Gregg tipped the pass away as the clock expired.

“She just loves basketball,” Brooks said of Gregg. “She knows it, understands it. Once she has that connection, she’s together and her feet are in line with her hands and her hands are in line with her mind, we’re really good.

“She has not started a game for us, but she’s finished a whole lot because that’s where her value is for our group. … She could not even break the rotation when she first got here, and now she’s finishing basketball games against top-15 teams.”

Amoore (24 points), Kitley (13), King (12) and Gregg (11) combined for 60 of Virginia Tech’s 68 points vs. North Carolina. Soule added five while Kayana Traylor hit a three.

Much like last year’s ACC tournament clash with the Tar Heels, the game once again came down to the wire. In that March contest, Amoore’s traditional 3-point play was canceled out by Eva Hodgson’s 3-pointer at the end of regulation, sending it to overtime.

This time around, there were 26 lead changes and 12 ties. In the end, Amoore’s three free throws with 1.8 left were the difference, and Gregg’s defense at the end sealed it.

“I said the narrative at six o’clock was going to be that they’re going to say one team had a really bad week and one team bounced back and had a win,” Brooks said. “And ironically, I walked in at 5:59 p.m. And they said, ‘You said six o’clock.’ … Very proud of these kids.”

Virginia Tech hosts Virginia on Thursday before traveling to Coral Gables for a clash with Miami on Sunday.

Box Score: Link