Virginia Tech Women’s Basketball Overcome Yellow Jackets 62-51 For 21st Win - A Deep Dive

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets came to Blacksburg Sunday with a lot on the line for the two teams. Both were jockeying for ACC tournament positioning. Georgia Tech had the possibility of a winning ACC record. For the Hokies, the final home game of the season represented an opportunity to earn a double bye in the ACC tournament as well as enhance its resume leading into the NCAA tournament.

The Hokies (21-8, 11-6) prevailed 62-51 in a physical slog that saw Tech honor seniors KIlah Freelon and Mel Daley and saw junior Carleigh Wenzel score her 1000th career point.

GAME SUMMARY

1ST QUARTER

The first quarter started with fireworks from both teams. Georgia Tech won the jump ball and scored quickly cutting off a screen for a layup. Virginia Tech’s Carys Baker came right back with a drive into the lane to tie it up. Carleigh Wenzel hit a free throw and then found Baker in transition for a three pointer that put Virginia Tech up 6-4.

Georgia Tech came right back with their own three to take the lead.  Georgia Tech’s offensive strategy became clear. Their guards aggressively drove the lane and screened for their posts in order to create size mismatches against Hokie guards underneath. While the Hokies played defense well enough to withstand a heavy diet of lobs, the Yellow Jackers were able to draw fouls or hit shots at times. Meanwhile, the Hokies offense suffered from random turnovers and missed shots, allowing Georgia Tech to build a 10-6 lead.

Undaunted, the Hokies continued to attack. Sufften came in and made a difference with layups and drives that drew fouls, helping Tech claw back to within 13-12. Nevertheless, Georgia Tech kept lobbing inside to 6’ 1 Brianna Turnage and 6’ 1 Savannah Samuel. Even with the Hokies tipping away some passes or causing turnovers, Georgia Tech kept scoring. Offensively, the Hokies saw several shot attempts blocked and turned the ball over too much, allowing the Yellow Jackets to build their biggest lead of the game at 19-12 with 1:24 left in the quarter. 

Even after Coach Duffy called a timeout to stop to stop the bleeding, nothing changed until Tech point guard Mackenzie Nelson drove the right wing, drew a help defender, and hit Carleigh Wenzel in the corner for a three to bring Tech back to 19-15 at the end of the first.

2ND QUARTER

The beginning of the second quarter saw Wenzel exit with an injury when she and Nelson collided with each other and into the basket stanchion. Nevertheless, the Hokies started to bear down. After a near turnover, Nelson drove the lane for a layup, and then Samyha Sufftren grabbed her own offensive rebound and drove in for another layup that closed the gap to 21-19.

Still, Tech could not get over the hump. The teams traded buckets or free throws until Georgia Tech put together another scoring spurt that pushed the score back to a five point margin at 28-23. Free throws by Mel Daley cut the margin to three before Samuel’s shot from the arc widened it back to six.  With 3:33 left in the second, Georgia Tech commanded a 32-26 lead, and the Hokies were precariously close to letting the Yellow Jackets pull away.

The Hokies responded. After turning the ball over, Nelson saved a transition score by drawing yet another charge. On Tech’s next possession, Wenzel drove right, created space, and pulled up for a two pointer. After another defensive stop, Nelson pushed the ball on a 3-2 break. Wenzel crossed left  in front of her, making the two defenders veer to guard them and freeing Mel Daley up for an easy layup on the right. Baker then hit a free throw, and just like that, the Hokies were back within 32-31 to close out the first half.

3RD QUARTER

Kilah Freelon drew her third foul to start the second half, bringing Aniya Trent back in. Unfazed, Hokies picked up their defensive intensity, making it difficult for the Yellow Jackets to run their offense. Meanwhile, the Hokies became more efficient on offense. Wenzel used a screen by Trent to drive and drop a pass to a rolling Trent for a slashing layup. None of it seemed to change the overall game dynamics as Georgia Tech continued to do enough to maintain its lead. 

With Georgia Tech up 5 halfway through the third, Samyha Sufften drove and drew a foul.  After hitting her two free throws, she forced a turnover. Baker missed a three pointer but followed her shot for an easy put back to pull Tech within one. With 3:33 left, Suffren drove, drew a foul, and hit both free throws to put Virginia Tech up 39-38, its first lead since the first quarter.  Two Baker free throws and a Wenzel jumper finished out the third with the Hokies up 43-40.

4TH QUARTER

The fourth quarter belonged to the Hokies. Two minutes into the fourth, Nelson found herself wide open at the three point line. She calmly launched a shot that put Tech up by 6. Wenzel then secured a defensive rebound, pushed the ball in transition, and passed cross court to Nelson, who went into Kayl Petersen for an easy layup. The lead had ballooned to eight, forcing a Georgia Tech timeout.

The timeout did not help as a Suffren layup put the Hokies up 10. Then came the historic moment that had been anticipated going into the game: Suffren grabbed a defensive rebound and pushed the ball in transition. She passed ahead to Wenzel who splashed a three pointer from the wing that gave her 1000 points for her career and gave Tech an insurmountable 13-point lead. 

While the Hokies went through a sloppy stretch that allowed Georgia Tech to pull back within eleven, the Hokies settled down and executed down the stretch to close out the 62-51 win.

SIX THOUGHTS AFTER THE GAME

(3RD AND) 4TH QUARTER POISE CONTINUES TO CARRY THE HOKIES

During its run of success through the ACC gauntlet in the new year (2026), Virginia Tech has shown grit, poise, and maturity in the fourth quarter when it has mattered the most. Whatever struggles the team might have faced in earlier parts of games, the fourth quarter has been winning time for the most part. 

The Hokies, once again, overcame first half issues and rose to the occasion late in the game. The Hokies shot 5-for-19 (26.3%) in the first quarter and 6-for-17 (35.3%) in the second quarter. They were 0-for-6 from three in the second. Seven free throws in the first half helped them keep pace with the Yellow Jackets.

The third quarter didn’t look much better offensively. In fact, the Hokies shot 3-for-18, or 16.7% in the quarter. In fact, they made more free throws (6) than field goals in the quarter. 

To their credit, every time it seemed like the Yellow Jackets were going to pull away, the Hokies fought back to keep it close. However, Virginia Tech made yet another statement in the second half. It held Georgia Tech to 1-of-11 shooting from the field and 0-for-3 from three for a 9.1% clip in the third quarter.

Over a 9:53 stretch across the third and fourth quarters, Virginia Tech went on a 22-2 run that turned a 38-33 deficit into a 55-40 lead, and effectively sealed the game.

DEFENSE WINS THE GAME

Neither team’s offense was pretty, though Virginia Tech strung together enough offense to take that fourth quarter lead for good.  

Virginia Tech’s defense won the game.

While the Hokies showed flashes of making life difficult for Georgia Tech in the first half, the Hokies locked in defensively during the second half:

• They forced that 9% shooting percentage in the third and 23.5% shooting in the fourth.
• Georgia Tech was 0-for-6 from three in the second half (2-for-10 overall).
• The Hokies forced 24 turnovers, including 10 steals.
• Virginia Tech held Brianna Turnage to 4 points after she scored 20 in her last game against Pitt.
• Even though Georgia Tech’s leading scorer Talayah Walker notched 17 points, Virginia Tech forced her into a 5-for-16 performance - a 31.2% shooting night compared to her season average of 43%.

What changed in the second half that allowed the Hokies to pull away, especially during that 22-2 run?

Carleigh Wenzel pointed to “Just being able to hone in. I think we started a little bit slow in the first half - both offensively and defensively. Letting our defense fuel us and getting us going on offense, I think we talked about keeping them under 50 points, and so we were right there. Being able to lock in the second half and get to the goal we were looking for.”

Samyha Suffren focused on their preparation when she said, “Just remembering that we just have to come out here and play as hard as we can, even though we didn’t play our best in the first half. Just remembering the preparation and Coach Duffy said that we have to lock in and do the little things.”

Coach Duffy echoed these thoughts in comparing Virginia Tech’s defense in the first half to the second half: “I just thought we were a step slow. They can get into multiple actions and end up getting into 1-on-1 and an iso situation. I thought yesterday at practice we guarded it really well and were in sync. I think that is where I was a little bit disappointed because well we are not doing like we did yesterday. We had to keep talking about it and keep showing them what it looked like and even if they thought they were there, you got to keep making those adjustments. So I thought once we tightened up a little bit and played to our effort level, then some of the mistakes we could make, we could get away with because of your effort and getting to the right spot. I thought our bench did a really nice job  for us helping on that side of the ball. Overall, we got stronger as the game went on.”

Regarding that 22-2 run and forcing 24 turnovers, Duffy said, “I thought we had some great possessions where we rotated over. We forced them to travel a couple of times. That run we made, we had some phenomenal rotations and led to some deflections, which was great. We were finally in the right position.I don’t think at any point in the first quarter we were ever in the right position, so we got better as the game went on with that. Overall, we tightened things  up and forced their kids to take some shots that were a little bit more difficult for them. I thought they got a few easy shots in the first half. Any time you can force 20-some turnovers, there are fewer opportunities for them to score and obviously gives you an advantage.”

1000TH POINT MILESTONE - WENZEL DELIVERS

Carleigh Wenzel entered the game ten points shy of 1000 points for her career. Over the course of the game, she did enough to close in on that goal. It came in that key run during the fourth quarter when she rose up over Turnage for the three that gave her 1000 points. During her post-game interview with the broadcast announcers, she said she was glad it came from a three rather than free throws or something like that. When asked what the milestone meant to her in the post-game press conference, Carleigh said, “Means a lot. I have had a lot of amazing teammates in my past years. Obviously, you have Liz Kitley and Georgia Amoore. Being able to come in and understand what it takes. I think people know how to get me the ball where I am successful. That means a lot. It is a lot of hard work.”

Wenzel entered this season focusing on growing as a leader. Through the highs and lows of a basketball season, she continues to deliver both offensively and defensively. She scored 15 points against Georgia Tech, including two three pointers and five free throws. Wenzel also dished out two assists and hauled in six rebounds, including one offensive rebound. Her 15 points was her 13th consecutive double digit scoring game.

SAMYHA SUFFREN - LEADS THE HOKIES IN SCORING THREE STRAIGHT GAMES

Samyha Suffren led the Hokies in scoring with 16 points. She also grabbed five rebounds, including one offensive board, and dished out two assists.  While her outside shot was a bit off, Suffren was able to get into the lane, scoring layups or drawing fouls. She was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line. When asked what allowed her to be perfect from the line, Sufften said, “Just remember that we have time on the line, and we don’t need to rush it. Just remember our preparation.  Even the littlest things as the free throw line. All of our routines, just make sure we take a deep breath and knock our free throws down.”

After missing most of last year with the shoulder injury, Samyha’s development has been key for the Hokies this season. Known before this season as a defensive thief and driver, she has developed a relatively consistent mid-range jumper. Indeed, Suffren has led the Hokies in scoring the last three games in a row and has scored in double digits in eight of the fifteen games the Hokies have played in 2026.

SENIOR DAY FOR KILAH FREELON AND MEL DALEY

The Hokies honored their two seniors Kilah Freelon and Mel Daley, along with three student managers, on the final home game of the season.  In her post-game conference, Coach Duffy said, “Thrilled for our two seniors  - Kilah Freelon and Mel Daley. Just a special day for them. Their parents and families were in the building. In just a short amount of time, they meant a lot to our program.  They just fit in with our culture. Just the energy. Love being around them. Really special for them to get the win.”

Daley, who transferred in this season from Northwestern, started her first game since  the Louisville loss earlier this year. She scored six points and added two steals and one offensive rebound. Daley also scored her 1000th career point earlier in the season against BYU. Assuming Virginia Tech makes a post-season tournament, it will be the first one that Daley has played in during her career (Northwestern declined a bid to the WNIT in 2020-21).

Texas Tech transfer Kilah Freelon dealt with foul trouble over the first three quarters, so she only finished with four points. However, she made her impact felt in other ways, with seven rebounds, three blocks, and a steal. While her Texas Tech team’s did make the WNIT or WBIT, she has never played in an NCAA tournament game.

When asked what Freelon and Daley meant to the program, Carleigh Wenzel said, “It is really hard to just come in to a team and build chemistry right away in one year. They fit what we do perfectly. I think they work really hard on the court, but they are great people off the court. What they want to do with life, it is just not normal stuff. Being able to have people that you get along with that are just good people who want to work hard and want to pour into a program and give all they have for a year is rare.  So it is nice to have them here, credit to her [indicating Coach Duffy] for getting people like that here.”

Suffren echoed those sentiments, “Mel and Kilah did such a great job of being able to adapt coming from two different schools that play two different ways. Just having the trust in us, as well as in Coach Duffy; it just makes it better on and off the court.”

ANIYA TRENT AND KAYL PETERSEN - DUO HOLDS THEIR OWN

Because Freelon dealt with foul trouble, drawing two in the first half and her third early in the third, Aniya Trent and Kayl Petersen had to play key minutes while the game was in doubt. They steppes into the fire against Georgia Tech’s Turnage and Samuel.

Trent scored two points on that nice pick and roll dish from Wenzel.  She also had a career-high eight rebounds, including three offensive boards.   Coach Duffy said, “AT - just her physical presence. She had a couple of fouls too but she held her ground.… I thought AT was very efficient. Just huge minutes. I thought she got a little frustrated in the beginning but then even her poise - Kilah was in her ear along with her assistant coaches to keep her positive and to keep her locked into what she needed to do.”

Petersen also added a basket and grabbed three rebounds. Of Petersen, Duffy said, “I thought Kayl made a couple of big plays for us. Drew a foul on them by just kind of banging bodies with somebody and grabbed a couple herself.”

Coach Duffy further praised the duo, saying, “Those things matter. It gets these guys [indicating Wenzel and Suffren] easier buckets. It was a little bit of a reverse thing because their guards are pretty good rebounders. Usually, we say guards you have to help the posts rebound. This was a kind of game where ‘hey bigs can you help these guys’ with the way GT’s guard play was. It needed to be a collective effort.”

Over the course of the game, Trent and Petersen played 11 and 10 minutes, respectively. They entered the game when Virginia Tech was behind, but, by the time Freelon returned to start the fourth quarter, Tech had claimed a three-point lead.

ROLL CALL

Carys Baker was the third Hokie in double figures. She scored 10 points, including a three pointer and three free throws. Baker also added eight boards, a career-high four blocks, and two steals. While she was only 3-of-11 from the field, it was her defense against Turnage and Samuel that made the difference in this game.

Mackenzie Nelson scored seven points on only 2-for-10 shooting from the field, with Turnage often turning away Nelson’s driving layup attempts. However, Nelson led the team with six assists and a career-high four steals. She added three rebounds, including one offensive, and blocked a shot. In addition, she drew yet another game-changing charge!  Lastly, even though she struggled to finish, Nelson hit a vital three that started the separation for Virginia Tech in the second half.

Leila Wells gave way to Mel Daley to start the game on Senior Day, but Wells did start the second half. She played seven minutes and didn’t score.

Sophie Swanson came in when Carleigh Wenzel went out in the first half with an injury. While she didn’t score, Swanson drew a foul on Samuel and grabbed an offensive rebound.

WHAT’S NEXT - NCAA WATCH

When asked how 21 overall wins and 11 wins in the conference indicate that this year’s team is better than last year’s version, Coach Duffy spoke glowingly of her players, “I am just incredibly proud of the focus and grit to get better every day. Coming off two nice wins in California, you could have a let down. Even though we didn’t end up beating North Carolina the other day, there was still a confidence about us. You could see we’re getting better defensively, we are moving and sharing the ball. We just had a couple of mishaps in that game, and I was just so proud of them, taking every challenge we brought to them on Friday. We had to watch some of that film against UNC, watch the really disappointing moments but, then also from a positivity, we spun it to look at the good basketball we are playing. It is never too late to get better. I have always been a big believer in that, whether it is the last game of the season or summertime or November. This team continues to stay motivated, to work on small things, and we needed that today. We were not at our best. We knew coming in with Georgia Tech the way they are physical. They have nothing to lose. Just for our team, despite having some ugly possession on both sides, just staying locked in like Samyha making all her free throws, Carleigh hitting a big three. She had a phenomenal pick and roll game to AT (Aniya Trent). It is all those little plays that add up and you can pull away. I am very proud of the grit they showed this week especially.”

The Hokies have one more regular season game in which their grit, fight, and poise will be tested. They have a week off before traveling up the road to Charlottesville on March 1 for the second game of the Commonwealth Clash. While the Hokies defeated the Virginia Cavaliers in Blacksburg 76-54 on February 1, Virginia has gone 5-1 since that loss - including a 74-72 win at no. 8 Louisville on Sunday.  UVA will play North Carolina this coming Thursday, so it is likely the two teams will be fighting for a top 5-6 seed in the ACC standings and a first round bye.

NCAA Watch

With the win against Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech is listed in ESPN’s Bracketology as being among the Last Four Byes (teams that skip the First Four Round) and a 10-seed. While Tech has a chance to finish with 22 overall wins and 12 conference wins if it defeats Virginia next week, it essentially solidified a spot in the NCAA tournament with the win over Georgia Tech.

The ACC could get as many as 8-9 teams in the tournament, depending on how the final week and ACC tournament shakes out. The bracketology projects 8 bids right now. The ACC teams that are already in are Duke, Louisville, UNC, NC State, and Syracuse. Virginia Tech can cement its spot with a win at Virginia this Sunday.

Taking a look at the other ACC teams that are jockeying for position in the NCAA tournament:

Clemson - Right now, Clemson is listed as one of the Last Four In. It has 19 wins, but its 10 ACC wins help. Clemson plays Cal and Stanford next. If Clemson splits or beats both, it gets to 20 wins and at least 11 ACC wins. That puts them in. Of course, the upset win over 9th rankdd Duke helps.

UVA - UVA is also listed as a Last Four In.  It plays UNC and Virginia Tech next. If UVA loses both remaining gamees, it finishes 19-10. and likely falls back to being a bubble team. UVA likely has to win at least one more game to be confident about getting into the tournament. The upset of no. 8 Louisville helped its cause.

Notre Dame reached the 10 ACC win and 18 overall win plateau with its victory over SMU. Its next two games are against Syracuse and Louisville. Beyond any bonus that its SOS, NET, and reputational factors provide, Notre Dame likely has to win at least one more game to get in.

California and Stanford are listed as the Next Four Out. Cal plays Miami and Clemson. I doubt Cal gets in even if it defeats both, though it would place itself firmly back in the bubble conversation. Stanford plays SMU and Clemson. Two wins gets it to 19 overall wins, but still only 8 ACC wins. That isn't enough.

What each of these teams does in the ACC tournament will also factor in.

Youtube Video of Condensed Game