No. 15 Virginia Tech Stomps LIU with Record 17 Threes
No. 15 Virginia Tech took down Long Island University 98-50 on Wednesday, claiming its sixth win of the year.
Offense and defense clicked in record-breaking fashion for the Hokies. The team combined for 17 made threes and 30 assists, both Cassell Coliseum records. In the wake of a high-profile loss to LSU, Tech made a big statement.
“We go to LSU, and they’re the seventh-ranked team. They’re not the seventh-ranked team, that team’s a top two, top three team,” said Head Coach Kenny Brooks. “We play them at LSU and we lose. We didn’t play that well the last three quarters, but we didn’t get beat by 40 and they played well. We dropped six spots.”
The six-spot drop took a huge hit on the Hokies' postseason positioning, but against LIU they were unstoppable. Tech took a different approach than usual, turning on the burners in transition. The new method worked well as Tech pushed the pace.
“We tried to play a little bit faster today,” said Brooks. “I’ve instructed Georgia, when she gets it, go, and if they don’t run with you, I’ll get somebody in the game that will.”
Matilda Ekh and Cayla King had great efficiency as they spaced the floor. Ekh’s 3-6 and King’s 7-17 from behind the arc took the Hokies soaring. Georgia Amoore only had 10 points, but she didn’t need to score to make an impact. The Aussie was a facilitating genius, accounting for 14 of the team's assists.
“[King’s] mentality was so much better. She and I, we didn’t even really talk since the LSU game and I think it was because she knows what we need from her,” said Brooks. “What she did tonight, it was all her, there was no pep talk.”
Carys Baker seems to have broken out early in her freshman year. The forward has been a spark off the bench, easily shooting the lights out. Her career-high 18 points are a clear sign of what’s to come. She looked fluid and confident with eight games under her belt, imagine how she could look in March.
Virginia Tech will play Radford on Sunday at home in a New River Valley duel that’s sure to be interesting. The Highlanders have all three of former Hokie Kayana Traylor’s sisters on the squad. Traylor was the 23rd pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft by the Chicago Sky.
