Virginia Tech was in dire need of a redemption win as they bounced back from back-to-back ACC and road losses, and that's exactly what happened as the #14 Hokies defeated the Clemson Tigers 74-62 inside Cassell Coliseum. It was a victory. Sunday afternoon.
It wasn't easy for the Hokies, who were without one of their superstars in senior point guard Georgia Amoore. She missed the contest due to sustaining her head injury in Tech's last game against Duke.
“We weren't all perfect, but we all stepped up when we needed to,” Kenny Brooks said after the game. “I told the group before the game, don't try to be Georgia because no one can be Georgia. Be the best version of yourself.”
With Amoor missing even this game, Tech used two freshman guards, starter Carly Wenzel and substitute Samiha Safran. Wenzel had seven points and four assists, but also committed four total fouls and five turnovers. Meanwhile, Shufran ended up with three points, four assists, and four turnovers. Although it was a mixed bag for the young guard, Safran and Wenzel were able to learn from the experience.
“They're freshmen, so there's a lot of retroactive teaching in the film. We teach them what they need to do to get better. As they learn, we do enough to win. They did their job,” Brooks said.
Without the All-ACC players, the Hokies' offense was certainly a little fluid for the first 17 minutes of the game. Tech committed 13 turnovers in the first half and allowed 11 offensive rebounds through the first two frames, both of which would improve after the halftime break.
“They do a great job of mixing it up, moving from man to zone a lot. It takes a few seconds to figure out which one they're in,” Brooks said. “A lot of the stagnation in play early on was because we had never played this long without Georgia.”
Clemson abandoned the 2-3 zone for much of the game, and the Hokies without Amoore were left scrambling for almost the entire first half. However, once Elizabeth Kitley started attacking, the script was flipped on the Tigers' side, and the Tigers were unable to protect Kitley in the slightest.
“They had a lot of matchups in their zone, so we were able to attack and get matchups and we were able to take advantage of that. They were able to protect me one-on-one down low. , the guards did a really good job of getting me the ball and Coach Brooks did a good job of calling me to make shots.'' Elizabeth Kitley said after the match.
Kitley started 2-7 from the floor, but was basically perfect from there. The All-American missed just two shots the rest of the game and finished with 31 points on 15-for-22 shooting from the floor, eight rebounds, four steals and two blocks, the 10th 30-point game of his career. Her 15 field goals were the most ever in a game at Cassell Coliseum, surpassing the school record of 14 made on Dec. 4, 2020, against Appalachian State.
Not only was Kitley great on the floor, but his impact was felt as a leader as well.
“We as fans need to understand that she is a generational player here because we may never see her again. It meant so much more because of her leadership throughout,” Brooks said. “Given the way she was speaking in the crowd today, she was like an extension of me outside.”
Kitley's tech team appeared to be leading the way the rest of the way. However, it wasn't all plain sailing as Tech's other leader, Kayla King, went down with a leg injury in the fourth quarter. After colliding with an opposing defender, King had to be helped off the floor by two trainers. After a few minutes, King returned to the floor under his own power and sat on the bench for the remainder of his game. King totaled eight points and nine assists, coming close to achieving her first career double-double.
“It was obviously a terrifying moment, but as I was looking out at the crowd of people gathered together, I suddenly looked up and she was staring at me. It was probably the best thing I've ever felt. It's one of those feelings,” Brooks said. “We don't know what her situation is, but we're going to accept it and enjoy the situation.”
Going back to turnovers and offensive rebounds, the Hokies committed just seven turnovers in the second half, two of which came in the final seconds of the game. They also gave up only two offensive boards in his two frames behind him, and as the game progressed he showed improved boat load in those two areas.
“It was about us being more focused. Especially in the first half, we had too many turnovers that we shouldn't have made and made some stupid mistakes. Also, some of the rebounds we knew were better not to make. There were times when we made some mistakes that we weren't supposed to make,” Matilda Ek, who scored 16 points, said after the game.
Virginia Tech improved to 5-2 in ACC play and 14-4 overall with a 12-point victory over a reeling Clemson team. Next up, the Hokies will take on Georgia Tech inside Cassell Coliseum on Thursday night at 6 p.m.
