Syracuse, New York – Georgia Amoore scored 29 points, including six free throws with 72 seconds left, and No. 19 Virginia Tech overcame an off game from All-American Elizabeth Kitley to defeat No. 22 Syracuse 75-62 on Sunday. It broke.
Kitley, who averaged 22.7 points, was 3-of-13 and missed both free throws, while Amoor was 10-of-17 and Matilda Ek and Kayla King both made four 3-pointers. .
Kitley's second basket to start the fourth quarter put the Hokies ahead 57-47. After two Syracuse players collided for a defensive rebound, she got an easy 2 for a 67-57 lead with 2:08 left.
Daisha Fair immediately hit a long 3-pointer for Syracuse. That's when Amoore took over again. He dribbled through the defense for a floater and made six free throws, but the Orange missed their final four.
Ek had 14 points and King added 13 points for the Hokies (16-4, 7-2 Atlantic Coast Conference). Olivia Sumiel had 12 rebounds and Kitley had nine rebounds. Kitley's last game in single digits was against Duke last March, and his last game with three or fewer baskets was against Duke in January of last year.
Fair and Georgia Woolley both had 16 points for the Orange (17-3, 7-2), whose winning streak ended at six. Alaina Rice had 14 points and Kyla Wood had 12 rebounds. Fair moved into ninth place on the Division I scoring list with 3,101 points, passing Minnesota's Rachel Banham.
The first half was played in two different quarters, but the score was even, 36-32 in favor of the Hokies.
Amoore scored Virginia Tech's first 11 points, then added a layup and Kitley's first basket to make it 23-9 after one quarter. Amoore made 5 of 7 shots and the Hokies shot 56% (23.1%) to Syracuse's 3 of 13 shots. In the second quarter, the Orange shot 56%, while the Hokies were 4-of-15 (26.7%).
By halftime, both teams were 13-of-31, with 18 rebounds and seven turnovers. Tech was 8-of-14 from the field to Syracuse's 4-of-12.
Both teams got off to a cold start in the third quarter. Syracuse missed its first five shots and was 1-of-10. The Hokies missed their first eight shots, but made 7 of 9 and entered the fourth quarter with a 55-47 lead.
Tech ended up having a 47-39 advantage on the boards, going 12-of-29 from the arc to Syracuse's 5-of-22.
Virginia Tech plays Virginia at home on Thursday, while Syracuse visits No. 18 Louisville.
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