No. 9 Virginia Tech tops Kansas in Cayman Islands Showdown

The No. 9 Virginia Tech Hokies took down the Kansas Jayhawks 59-58 in the first round of the Cayman Islands Classic.

Kansas got an early five-point lead, but the Hokies quickly evened it up. By the second quarter, VT went up seven, but the score eventually evened out as it went. VT continued to put the heat on, but couldn’t break past seven, as the Jayhawks fought vigorously.

The fourth quarter was a battle for the lead, as the teams went back and forth eight times. Virginia Tech got the final go-ahead bucket at 2:57 when Georgia Amoore hit a three assisted by Liz Kitley. The final three minutes saw no points as defense reigned. Blocks, turnovers, and contested shots prevented anything from falling as the game closed out.

Kitley mirrored her UNCG performance with 31 points as she led the team. The center was unstoppable with Jayhawks starter Taiyanna Jackson locked on the bench with foul trouble. Kitley grabbed a whopping 18 boards, with five blocks for a stellar game.

Amoore struggled at 6-16 from the floor for 14 points. She had nine turnovers in the contest as Kansas’s defense was solid and physical. No other Hokies hit double figures, as Cayla King and Rose Micheaux followed with five and six points respectively. The two both got into foul trouble limiting their minutes.

As one of Kansas’s stars, Jackson’s foul trouble hurt the team tremendously. She played just 18 minutes, far below the 30+ that’s typical of her. She had only eight points with three turnovers. Danai Papadopoulou had to step into the center position in her place, eventually fouling out in the fourth with three points and six boards.

Virginia Tech will play Tulane tomorrow at 11 a.m. in the final round of the Cayman Islands Classic.