Kitley and Amoore Combine For 53 Points, No. 19 Hokies Sting the Yellow Jackets 87-69

No. 19 Virginia Tech (15-4, 6-2 ACC) swarmed Georgia Tech (13-7, 4-4 ACC) Thursday night in Cassell Coliseum and handily took down the Yellow Jackets by a final score of 87-69.

The status of Georgia Amoore was up in the air after she missed the Hokies last game vs. Clemson, but she was cleared to go and didn’t disappoint as she and her other Queen of Cassell Elizabeth Kitley showed out for the home crowd, accounting for 53 of Tech’s 87 points.

Although Amoore and Kitley accounted for the majority of the points, the team still meshed well all game, contributing 13 second-chance points, 13 points-off turnovers, and a 3.33 Ast/TO ratio, one of the best they’ve had all season.

“I think we came out hot and confident, for sure,” said Georgia Amoore.

“We had our point guard back, so that helped a lot,” said Elizabeth Kitley. But I think we just did a good job of sharing the ball."

“I think as the seasons gone on, we’ve done a lot better at playing together in general, so I think it’s showing as the seasons progressing game by game.”

Kitley got the Hokies rolling early, and they really never looked back. In the first quarter, Kitley shot a perfect 8-of-8 from the field, good for 16 points and more than half of the 28 first quarter points from the team.

She would go on to finish the game with 29 points and nine rebounds, yet another near 30-point game for her.

“I was just getting the normal shots that I get. I think they’re just going in, which is nice,” said Kitley.

“Georgia had a lot of great passes; I think we were playing the two-man game really well, so I think that’s also what helped, but also out-of-bounds plays, and just how I was with my shot.”

Georgia Amoore was cooking up something special in her first game back since her head injury, putting up a cool 24 points, nailing four triples, as well as dishing 13 assists with only two turnovers. She didn’t skip a beat and reclaimed her role in the rotation, notching 35 minutes in the contest.

“Her pace was terrific; I just let her go,” said Head Coach Kenny Brooks. I’ve got this Ferrari Georgia who is ready to roll and get down the floor, but then I also have this six-foot-six All-American that you need to get the basketball too.”

“I did let her [Amoore] go a little more; she played with more spunk. She was great all week, and I just let her go a few times, and she made really good plays.”

We all know the Queens of Cassell did their thing, but it’s time we shout out someone who has really filled in her role exceptionally, Olivia Summiel. Summiel did a little bit of everything for the Hokies, finishing with 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting, including two threes, and adding nine rebounds.

In arguably her best game in a Hokie uniform, she has really come into her role and should continue to produce down low moving forward.

“I’m very proud of her and happy for her because she’s starting to settle into her role,” said Brooks.

“She’s hitting open threes, feeding the basketball, defending, rebounding, and learning how to play off of Liz, and that’s a major plus for us.”

Some more notables were Clara Strack, who totaled 14 minutes in the contest, putting up six points and three rebounds. Carleigh Wenzel also got some notable minutes, scoring seven points on the night.

“We have depth. Clara is going to be really good, and when I say that, I mean this year,” said Brooks. I thought Carleigh Wenzel played well tonight; she's continuing to get good minutes.

“But these kids have really accepted that opportunity, and they know if I continue to work, then I’ll get more opportunities.

Looking ahead, Virginia Tech has a lot on its plate as the season continues to move forward. The Hokies take on three ranked opponents in the next four matchups, the next of which is No. 22 Syracuse with star guard Dyaisha Fair. The matchup is set for 12:00 PM ET on Sunday, January 28 in the JMA Wireless Dome.