Virginia Tech Women’s Basketball Weekly Recap
No. 9 Virginia Tech vs. UNC Greensboro | Monday, November 20 | Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, VA
Final: VT 72, UNCG 51
UNCG came out aggressively and made VT fight for every basket they could. It was clear that while this Hokies team is highly talented, sometimes they need to play tougher and get downhill toward the hoop. It was a very telling game ahead of Kansas and the upcoming No. 7 LSU matchup on November 30. Both groups attack forcefully; VT struggled with that against UNCG.
While the Spartans were aggressive, they had a difficult time getting shots up. It seemed like every possession ended with a travel, carry, or offensive foul. Jayde Gamble was incredible despite the turnovers. She scored half the Spartan’s points, often shifting her shot midair to get around the lanky defenders.
Liz Kitley stepped up for 31 as Georgia Amoore struggled to hit her shots. Matilda Ekh and Rose Micheaux combined for 17 to pull the team through, with a handful of other players adding a bucket or two. It was clear that going to Kitley in the post was working, so that’s exactly what they did all game.
No. 9 Virginia Tech vs. Kansas | Friday, November 24 | Cayman Islands Classic
Final: VT 59, Kansas 58
Just like UNCG, Kansas played a physical game that gave the Hokies issues. They went back and forth eight times for the lead in the fourth quarter alone, neither could break past a two-point lead.
Amoore hit a three with 2:57 on the clock to go up 59-58, defense reigned after that. Fans bit their nails as the teams missed shots and fouled, no more points going up on the board. VT ended up on top in a stressful game.
Kitley again had 31, and Amoore followed with 14. VT out-assisted the Jayhawks by 13 and shot 36% higher from the free-throw line, which made the difference in the end.
No. 9 Virginia Tech vs. Tulane | Saturday, November 25 | Cayman Islands Classic
Final: VT 76, Tulane 70
Tulane was another difficult game in the Cayman Islands as Tech pulled through for the win in the second half. The Green Wave led by two at the midway break, a sight the Hokies aren’t used to.
Amoore finally had her day, shooting 9-16 from the field for 24 points. She had seven assists to add on, playing all 40 minutes on the court. Kitley had 18 and Cayla King followed with 11. Olivia Summiel had an amazing day off the bench with 16 points. She played 22 minutes, the only bench player over 10. She was an efficient 6-9 FG and 3-5 3PT, it’s no wonder Coach Brooks kept her in.
Takeaways from this Week
This is a really good team, but the bench needs to be more productive. With the exception of Summiel, Tech had one total point on the bench across both Cayman Islands games. This group has too much depth to be relying on the starters like this. Amoore is more than capable, but I’d like to see another guard take a bit of the load off her back. Summiel has been great off the bench as a forward, she’s going to have more minutes in the future.
