No. 13 Virginia Tech Beats Out Wake Forest for 2nd ACC win
No. 13 Virginia Tech defeated Wake Forest 82-73 on Thursday, continuing a six-game win streak that began against LIU on December 6th.
The first quarter was relatively even. The Hokies managed to grab a four-point lead after the 10-minute mark, but WF forced seven turnovers to keep the game in check. Four of the seven were charged to Liz Kitley for lost balls and a three-second lane violation.
During the second quarter, VT put the pedal to the metal to build off a small four-point run to end the first. An additional nine unanswered points had Wake Forest on its heels, down 15 midway through the second. The Demon Deacons couldn’t buy a bucket, except for Elise Williams who made shots at will. 18 points at the half broke her career high, and there was more to come later.
Kitley, Clara Strack, and Rose Micheaux certainly put the pressure on the Demon Deacons down low, and it paid off. By halftime, Kitley had 15-7, Strack had 2-2-1, and Micheaux had 6-6. The trio of bigs moved fluidly through the paint, leading to nine offensive rebounds.
Tech continued to hold the lead around 15 points well into the third quarter, but Wake showed some fight as a group. The team knocked down its first eight shots in the quarter, while Tech went ice cold at the 5-minute mark. Wake’s 10-0 run from 5:40-3:30 brought the game back within reach, cutting the Hokies lead to seven.
VT’s Georgia Amoore and Micheaux alternated buckets to close out the quarter, combining for 11 points in the final 3:30 of the third. The pair brought a spark back to the Hokies lineup, taking back control of the game. The momentum was short-lived; however, as Alyssa Andrews hit a buzzer-beater to silence the celebrations moving into the final quarter.
Wake Forest kept pushing Virginia Tech, but in the end, the Hokies had an answer for every shot. They’d finish the final quarter 8-10 from the field to Wake’s 10-18.
William’s hot hand was 10-18 from the field, 3-5 from 3PT for 29 points. She also led the team with six free throws, giving Tech a run for their money almost single-handedly.
Kitley continued her big night to end with 27-12-1 with four blocks and a steal. She was followed by Amoore who heated up in the second half, where she scored 17 of her total 20 points. Amoore added 10 assists, both grabbing another double-double. Micheaux had a solid 13 points on 18 minutes, with seven boards; Ekh had 11 points from a trio of threes and a wide-open layup due to WF miscommunication on an inbound pass.
The Hokies will play No. 3 NC State (13-0, 1-0 ACC) on Sunday, January 7th at noon in Blacksburg, arguably their toughest opponent yet, and one they’ll need to be prepared for in the ACC Tournament come March.
