Nelson’s Dimes Help Virginia Tech Women Win In a Slog Over Loyola - A Deeper Dive

The Virginia Tech women’s basketball team slogged through a victory of the Loyola Greyhounds behind 18 points from Carleigh Wenzel and 17 points from Carys Baker. After Kayl Peterson posted a career high in posts against Towson, Mackenzie Nelson delivered a career-high 11 assists tonight.

GAME SUMMARY

1st Quarter

The Virginia Tech women found themselves down 16-14 to the Loyola (MD) Greyhounds at the end of the 1st quarter essentially due to poor shooting and random defensive breakdowns. It was not like the Hokies were playing poorly; they just missed so many shots. Virginia Tech shot 5-for-21 (23.8%) from the field in the first quarter. Seven different players took shots,but only four scored: Nelson hit a transition layup on Virginia Tech’s first possession, Wenzel was 2-for-5 from three and had two free throws, Peterson had a tip-in, and Baker was 1-for-4. A key positive during that stretch is that the Hokies were very active on the boards, grabbing 6 offensive rebounds.  Unfortunately, they only converted one of those second chances into points off the Peterson tip-on.  Defensively, the Hokies played hard, but the Greyhounds played with deliberate execution deep into the shot clock. Virginia Tech almost made them pay several times, but Loyola would score random baskets, for example, on drives off of screening action that caught Hokie defenders trailing or a high-low lob to Loyola player being fronted in the low post.

2nd Quarter

The game turned in the second quarter. What changed? The Hokies came out hot. Wenzel hit a 3-pointer fourteen seconds in. Baker followed that up with a 3-pointer of her own  on the next possession. Peterson blocked Loyola’s next shot attempt that led to a layup by Wenzel.  Momentum had swung the Hokies way to the tune of a 22-16 lead, forcing a Loyola timeout barely over a minute into the quarter. It didn’t matter: Peterson and Daley both hit two pointers, and the lead was 26-16. Overall, Virginia Tech shot 50% (6-of-12) from the field and added six free throws.

Defensively, Virginia Tech held Loyola scoreless for over five minutes; the Greyhounds did not score until the 4:34 mark in the quarter. It felt like the Hokies were everywhere.  Players closed out to force the ball on the floor. They cut off drives. They helped and recovered quickly. Nelson, for example, swooped into the lane from behind to cause a deflection when we fronted in the post.  Virginia Tech’s defense was swarming so much that it caused or nearly caused several shot clock violations.

Loyola was able to go on a mini 7-0 run mostly out of some high-low looks or when Virginia Tech opted to double Loyola’s best player Thieron, who was able to pass out of the double to open players. Even with the quarter ending in a 34-26 half-time lead, the damage had been done. Virginia Tech had seized control of the game behind improved shooting and defensive intensity.

When asked about the 14-0 run to start the second quarter, Wenzel said “Really, coming out and understanding we needed to play disciplined and punch them in the mouth. I don’t think we were being as aggressive as we could have or should have been. Staying disciplined defensively but taking it and going, not pulling it out and running offense right away.”

Baker pointed to a team strength being “moving and sharing the ball with each other. We have a lot of chemistry. We know where our strengths are and where our weaknesses are, where to find people on the court,, so one thing that we did really well is moving the ball. I think we got  away from that a little bit during that stretch of time when there was a bit of a lull in the game. When we talk to each other, we figure out ways to get each other open. Our pace is one of our biggest strengths, so we got back to that. We got a little bit tentative with moving the ball quickly and getting it out of bounds quicker and our pace picked up a lot more.”

3rd Quarter / 4th Quarter

The offensive doldrums returned for Virginia Tech. Missed layups, short hook shots, turnovers, and just general disorganization at times. The Hokies did not score until the 6:44 mark, and then it was the Cary Baker show! Mackenzie Nelson drove, dished to Baker for a point blank layup and a foul. Seconds later, Nelson drove again, dumped a pass to Baker for a point blank layup and the foul. After two transition jumpers by Mel Daley, she fed Baker for yet another layup. It wasn’t pretty as Virginia Tech only scored 12 points.

Fortunately, the Hokie defense was even better in the third quarter, forcing Loyola into a shot violation on its first possession and holding them to six points for a 46-32 lead at the end of three. 

The fourth quarter, however, was similar to the first quarter. The lead stayed largely stagnant in the 10-12 point range without Virginia Tech being able to pull away. Ultimately, Virginia Tech kept the Greyhounds at bay to win 64-48. 

When asked what made it difficult to make that run and pull away, Carleigh mentioned "physicality" and the Hokies “were not expecting it and we should have. They came out and were not letting us get things right away. Playing through the first and second action.” In addition, “they also got deep into their plays in terms of they were not taking the first option of their sets. They were running it through all the way, so that is something that we have to be disciplined on and continue to make different reads defensively.”

Coach Duffy viewed the need to adapt in a positive light, adding that “you have to figure out how to manage that physicality and you also have to void it by executing a little better, using screens a little differently. That is why I can’t reiterate that this early season stuff and I look back at the film and was it the physicality or us not guarding a certain action right? I think that is the great part about these early matchups, kind of finding those answers when we dig in tonight on the film.”

In addition, Coach Duffy also pointed to the small sample size you have in early season scouting, noting that “when they [Loyola] played LaSalle, LaSalle played almost all zone, so you didn’t get to see their full package and you are going off of last year. It is good for me and my staff to figure out and change the temp a little bit . We only gave up 10 and 6 points in the second and third quarters, which I thought was really good. So even though it felt like a slug match, you only gave up 6 and 10 points, which is solid, and kept them under 50.

SIX THOUGHTS AFTER THE GAME

Mackenzie Nelson is “Vital” To This Team

Mackenzie Nelson was last year’s energizer bunny, seemingly leading the team in taking charges. In addition, she came on over the course of the ACC season taking on increased point guard duties that allowed Wenzel to play off the ball more. She also showed the ability last season to get into the lane and finish layups. While there was plenty of room for growth, one off-season priority to expand her game seemed to be developing a consistent outside shot. 

So, how about this season? Having moved into a starting role early in the season, Nelson brings defensive quickness, pace,  and ball control.  Nelson might be one of the most important players on this team and could quietly be the breakout player of the year. Wenzel and Baker will get credit for scoring, and of course, Peterson and Freelon stole the headlines last week against Towson, but Nelson will be the key to Virginia Tech’s overall improvement. Case in point: Baker and Wenzel led the team in points against Loyola, but Nelson set a career high with 11 assists - though as Coach Duffy said, “It felt like she had 20!” 

When asked about Nelson’s growth and the work she has put in, her best friend and long time teammate Carys Baker talked about Mackie getting “confident in that ability. She works so hard. She is one of the hardest workers on our team. Being to have that confidence in her to bring the ball up and find the open person, I mean I have been playing with her since high school, so that is something she has always been able to do and just translating that to college basketball has been huge to see. So the progress she has made from last year to this year is honestly amazing. She has been pretty vital for us in these past couple of games and she will continue to do that.”

According to Coach Duffy, Mackey has been “steady” and is learning this season how to provide overall point production, no matter what form it takes. Duffy said that “one of the things we talked about with her this season is her point production: sometimes, she is going to have a low scoring night but have 11 assists and vice versa, she might score a little bit more and her assists might be down. She has taken ownership of that of every game of figuring out what this is going to look like for her. She is doing a great job, Five rebounds. She probably wants a couple of her finishes back.  She is a phenomenal finisher but overall to get those 11 assists in only 3 turnovers is great.”

Baker - Needs to get Unlocked Earlier

The first person who will benefit from Nelson’s ability to unlock the offense is Carys Baker. In the first two games, Baker has had a relatively limited impact in the first halves, whether due to getting in foul trouble and having to sit or her shot attempts being off. She did hit a three pointer in the first half tonight, but most of her shots around the basket felt “off’. Baker came alive in the second half to help carry the team and ultimately score 17 points; however, nearly every score was a layup off an assist. Nelson drove several times in transition, drawing defenders before dropping a pass to Baker. On another play in the third quarter, Peterson was doubled on the inside and, instead of forcing a shot, hit a cutting Baker for a layup that gave Tech a 16-pt lead.. When asked about being more aggressive in the second half, Baker acknowledged that it was more about her guards finding her. She said, “I think my teammates did a really good job finding me.  In the second half, Mac was doing a good job dumping it down. Obviously, we have really good guards like Carleigh and Mac, so when they penetrate, it just leaves a lot of people open so I think they did a really good job at that. I just had the confidence from them.”

Baker has the ability to generate baskets on her own and will undoubtedly score more from the three-point line over the course of the season, but she has been working on her versatility and figuring out that she can do more than shoot the three. As Coach Duffy put it, “Carys has always been an inside-outside player. She can shoot a 3. She can score on that mid-post and come off screens.”  And while Baker knows that the 3 point shot is one of her strengths, she knows that teams “are going to take that away because they know that I can shoot the ball, so just being able to find other ways to score is something that Coach Isee tells me every game. You are not just a 3-pt shooter. You have more versatility and you have more things that you can do, so if they take that away, figure out how else to score, and I feel like today was one of those games that I found other ways to score.”  At the end of the day, it does not matter how she scores; she is finding ways to help her team be successful.

Defense - Very Good But Needs Consistency

The Virginia Tech defense was solid-to-very good against Loyola. It just needs to be consistent. Loyola was going to score points, but the key is to limit breakdowns. Loyola benefitted from some early aggressive drives off of screens. The Greyhounds worked their high-low action at times. Tech opted to double Therien at times, which led to her passing out of it for open shots. There was also some miscommunication on a sideline inbounds play that led to Therien getting a screen and pass near the basket for a foul.

However, the Hokies overall played excellent defense, holding Loyola to under 50 points, and only 10 and 6 points respectively in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.  They forced or nearly forced numerous shot clock violations. Peterson drew a charge, and Wenzel almost got another. Loyola looked like they had an open drive early in the game, but Peterson said “NO” and blocked the shot, tapping it back in for a 3-on-1 fast break score on the other end.

Transition Defense: Virginia Tech’s transition defense was awesome: Loyola didn’t score a fast break bucket at all. As Baker explained, “It is our work at practice. We pride ourselves in our transition defense. That is something that we have been trying to improve from last year. It is something we bring up in timeouts, ‘They have not gotten anything in transition.’ So, that is something that we start from the game talking about and throughout the game, those are similar to boxing out, resounding. That is another thing we bring up: no transition points for them.”

The question for the Hokies the last two years has been how good will its interior defense be? Without Freelon today, the Hokies struggled at times. Loyola consistently got position, often deep with the Virginia Tech defender not able to do anything but get their hands up.  It was going to be a matter of whether Loyola made or missed the shot. Fortunately, enough shots rolled off the rim that Tech survived.

Speaking of the defensive adjustments after the first quarter, Wenzel said, “It starts with the guards. The posts have a lot on their shoulders defending pretty strong individuals. The guards coming being able to scoop out rebounds and stuff like that, just the smallest things that can help defensively. Or ball pressure, They are working down there trying to do their job.  We obviously need to do our job. If it is being entered into the post a little too easily, that is something the guards need to pick up and pressure the ball a little bit more or get tips, deflections.”

Three-Point "Defense": It would also be easy to praise the Hokie defensive effort on defending the three point line as Loyola was 1-for-6 from the arc. However, when asked about their three point defense, Coach Duffy downplayed it saying it was more about what Loyola chose to do rather than the Hokie defense. She said, “I think they had a game plan to pound it in. They shot a decent amount of 3s their first games. I don’t think it was anything we did. I think it was an emphasis on what they wanted to run and who they wanted to get the ball to. They have a couple of kids who can knock down some threes but their choice was to run their sets a little bit more, and work their high-low,and work some down hill attacks.”

Depth Could Be A Work in Progress

These early season games can trick fans into thinking Virginia Tech has extensive depth. First, we have to remember that Kilah Freelon did not play as she is day-to-day coming out of the Towson game. Against Towson, every member of the roster played, five players scored in double figures, and multiple guards made contributions. However, in a tight game against a team that Wenzel said “is a must win”, four players played over 30 minutes. Wells only played twelve minutes perhaps due to some unfortunate fouls. Daley only played 19 minutes (she played 21 against Towson, so her minutes were in the current range for her). Jenkins didn’t get in the game and Swanson only played 3 minutes.  In a tight game down the stretch, Duffy went with a tighter rotation. 

Against Loyola, Wenzel carried the team in terms of points in the first half. She scored 14 of Virginia Tech’s 34 first half points. She finished with a team high 18 points  and was  tied for second on the team in rebounds with 6. It is noteworthy that the usually reliable free throw shooter missed five. Had she made at least four of them, Virginia Tech would have won by a 20 point margin, and fans are likely looking at the score with less anxiety. Baker, along with her facilitator Nelson, scored 17 points and 2 points respectively to pace the Hokies in the second half. Baker added 6 rebounds whereas Nelson grabbed 5.  Peterson added 10 points and 9 rebounds. 

However, the team needs help from others on the roster, even if just shooting a higher percentage. Daley chipped in with 7 points, mainly off transition jumpshots and a layup. It was nice to see her take a three point shot early in the game as that is an area of her game in need of development. Suffren added 8 points, with several coming late in the game from her usual steal and full-court layup. Swanson added two free throws when she was fouled on a layup drive. Odds are Freelon would have added both offense and defense. Again, it is important to keep in mind that this is early in the season as the coaches are figuring out roles, lineups, and how players react to situations.

BLOBS Work!

Coach Duffy and her staff may gain a reputation of having Baseline Out of Bounds (BLOBs) that result in immediate scores.  There were at least two in the Towson game, and at least three in the Loyola game. Of course, the players have to execute but several have resulted in “easy” scores.

Play 1:  The team set up in the lane in a box with Baker on the ball-side elbow. Suffren moved up from the weak-side block to set a backscreen for Baker who flowed to the weakside block. She got an inbounds pass from Wenzel for a short jumper against a defender.

Play 2:  The Hokies ran its basic “pass into the post on the ball-side block” play. The inbounder Nelson passed to Peterson, entered the court, and got the ball back. On the weakside, Wenzel drifted from the wing to the corner. Trent set an off-ball screen to free up Wenzel for a skip pass from Nelson. Wenzel nailed the 3-pointer near the end of the first quarter

Play 3:  The Hokies ran the same upscreen cross to the opposite elbow with Baker flowing down again to the opposite block for a layup and foul. She finished the three point play to put Virginia Tech to 37-28 at the time.

These Games Are About…..

Regarding the Loyola game, Coach Duffy thought “today was a very good game for us. It is not always going to be as fluid as it was on opening night, and I think there is going to be a lot to take from this film. I really talked to the team in the locker room about following in love with the process and trying to improve on some things we didn’t do quite so well this afternoon. In every game, there are always going to be positives. There are always going to be big plays. I was teasing them that the crowd was quiet because we did not have as many exciting plays as we did the other day. A great learning experience for us Wins are wins. For the first week, we have a lot to hold our hat on and really get back to work at the same time.”

When asked about the first set of games and how she sees her team evolve, Coach Duffy pointed out that “you have to look at every game as its own entity in some ways. With seven new players and six returners, you are working alot through rotations. You are working a lot through roles. Practice for us is so important with our emphasis on defense, our rebounding, and getting our flow with offense. When you go out of conference, you are choosing how to play with different styles as well, and I think that, so I think that is really good. Towson was very different than Loyola, and we will go back to work on our third opponent. The early non-conference games at home . you want to get a little confidence. You want to iron out some things. I think both games this week have been really good with that. Our film session after Towson was super positive and beneficial to say, “hey we have to work on these couple of things” and you shift gears with a very different style with Loyola, and you have to adapt to that too. I really love that part about not only the first week, but the first few games of the season.”

However difficult an individual opponent is going to be, the main value is exposing players to different styles of play, figuring out roles and lineups, and working through early season scenarios to build chemistry and prepare the team for conference play. Fans may expect the Hokies to dominate and blow out opponents from lower conferences, but not every game is going to be. As Coach Duffy said, there are positives from every game as well as things to improve on. 

Fans may point to the Loyola game being sloppy, but the main mindset should be that a win is a win, take the positives, and move on to the next opponent, a home game against Gardner-Webb this coming Thursday, November 13 at 6:00.

Youtube Video of the Condensed Game