Cayla King Stays Hot From Three, Hokies Win Their Fifth Straight in Cassell Coliseum
After coming out with a victory on the road and securing the Commonwealth Cup for the Hokies last week against UVa, the Hokies had their hands full in Cassell Coliseum with a different style of offense coming from the likes of Dyaisha Fair and Georgia Wooley for the Syracuse Orange.
The more iso-style offense for the Orange kept the Hokies on their toes, and although Virginia Tech won comfortably, 78-64, from the perspective of Syracuse, it looked like they were going to come out on top and upset the No. 13 Virginia Tech Hokies.
The Orange took control from the start as they jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead that ultimately rose to 10 at the 2:09 mark in the first. Syracuse was playing aggressively, but the Hokies shrunk the lead down to six at the end of the first thanks to two quick buckets by D’asia Gregg, who had six of her nine points in the quarter.
Both teams continued to go back and forth in the second, and the offenses really started to pick up. Elizabeth Kitley had eight of her 20 points in the quarter after smothering defense from the Orange limited her in the first quarter. Kayla King also got into the mix on both sides of the ball, splashing three 3-pointers as well as adding a block and a steal. The Orange, although outscored by five, continued their solid guard play and held the lead going into the half.
The momentum continued to swing back and forth during the third quarter as both teams looked to their stars to keep them going. Elizabeth Kitley had another great quarter for the Hokies, shooting 4-4 from the field and adding a free throw to her total. Dyaisha Fair continued to add to her scoring total as well, and Kennedi Perkins had two straight and-1 opportunities created by some crafty drives inside. By the end of the quarter, the Hokies had regained the lead and led 52-50, looking to finish the Orange in the fourth.
Not to worry, as the Hokies surged in the fourth quarter, outscoring their opponent 26-14, playing great team basketball, and locking down on the defensive end. Taylor Soule got into the mix in the fourth and scored eight of her 12 points on crucial layups down the stretch. Three’s added by Georgia Amoore and Cayla King ballooned the lead to 16 at the 4:32 mark, and the Hokies never looked back.
Securing their fifth straight win at home, the Hokies move to 18-4 overall and 8-4 in ACC play. Syracuse, on the other hand, drops to 14-9 overall and two games under .500 in the ACC.
The Hokies face a tough schedule moving forward, as they take on the No. 15 NC State Wolfpack on the road on Monday at 6:00 p.m.
